Need To Know: BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Insiders Have Been Buying Shares
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sell BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.
What Is Insider Buying?
Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.
We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'.
See our latest analysis for BJ's Restaurants
The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At BJ's Restaurants
The Independent Director Noah Elbogen made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$440k worth of shares at a price of US$29.32 each. That implies that an insider found the current price of US$35.01 per share to be enticing. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for BJ's Restaurants share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.
Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 36.89k shares worth US$1.1m. But insiders sold 2.95k shares worth US$95k. Overall, BJ's Restaurants insiders were net buyers during the last year. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!
BJ's Restaurants is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Does BJ's Restaurants Boast High Insider Ownership?
Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that BJ's Restaurants insiders own 2.4% of the company, worth about US$18m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.
So What Does This Data Suggest About BJ's Restaurants Insiders?
It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded BJ's Restaurants shares in the last quarter. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders do have a stake in BJ's Restaurants and their transactions don't cause us concern. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for BJ's Restaurants you should be aware of.
If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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