Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

Several research firms have weighed in on EAT. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $160.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $152.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.10. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $43.37 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. As a group, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Brinker International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,526,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period.

About Brinker International

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.