Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $66.00 to $76.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Brinker International traded as high as $93.93 and last traded at $93.91, with a volume of 723619 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.46.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on EAT. Raymond James cut Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Argus cut Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $50.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Brinker International from $62.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.62.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,399,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $233,169,000 after acquiring an additional 30,861 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 11,419 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $567,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares during the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 1st quarter valued at about $99,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,190 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Brinker International by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 230,397 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,446,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.96. The stock has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of 27.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 2.51. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.05.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The restaurant operator reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.04). Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 274.62% and a net margin of 3.52%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.