Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Shares Down 5.6% – What’s Next?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s stock price traded down 5.6% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $136.62 and last traded at $137.48. 161,698 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,399,031 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Down 8.8 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $5.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56.

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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth about $83,000.

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.