Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Shares Down 6.4% – What’s Next?

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) traded down 6.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $145.51 and last traded at $144.53. 183,205 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 1,393,339 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on EAT. Citigroup lifted their price target on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of 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 research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.06. The stock has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000.

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.