Short Interest in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Increases By 7.1%

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,410,000 shares, an increase of 7.1% from the December 15th total of 5,050,000 shares. Currently, 12.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,200,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Brinker International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank Of America (Bofa) increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $108.29.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $144.17 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $131.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $38.13 and a fifty-two week high of $147.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth about $202,000. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at about $204,000.

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.