Brokerages Set Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) PT at $98.53

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $98.53.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on EAT. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th.

Brinker International Price Performance

NYSE EAT opened at $141.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $90.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $37.25 and a twelve month high of $141.18.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. Brinker International’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $203,000.

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.