BJ's Restaurants (BJRI Quick QuoteBJRI - Free Report) reported $318.64 million in revenue for the quarter ended September 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of 2.3%. EPS of -$0.16 for the same period compares to -$0.25 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $325.54 million, representing a surprise of -2.12%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -1500.00%, with the consensus EPS estimate being -$0.01.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how BJ's Restaurants performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Comparable restaurant sales: 0.4% compared to the 3% average estimate based on seven analysts.
• Number of restaurants: 217 compared to the 218 average estimate based on six analysts.
• Restaurant operating weeks: 2,805 compared to the 2,820 average estimate based on four analysts.
• Number of restaurants opened: 3 compared to the 2 average estimate based on four analysts.

View all Key Company Metrics for BJ's Restaurants here>>>

Shares of BJ's Restaurants have returned +4.6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -3.4% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.