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

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.34.

A number of equities analysts have commented on EAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Brinker International from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Brinker International from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Wedbush boosted their target price on Brinker International from $56.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Argus raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 21st.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $65.81 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a one year low of $28.23 and a one year high of $76.02.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 40,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.45, for a total transaction of $2,421,022.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 66,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,006,988.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Brinker International news, Director Prashant Ranade sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.47, for a total value of $68,717.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,039 shares in the company, valued at $1,064,426.33. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 40,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.45, for a total value of $2,421,022.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 66,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,006,988.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 57,714 shares of company stock valued at $3,637,623 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 231.8% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,583,239 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $78,602,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106,046 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth about $12,853,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,503,198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $64,908,000 after buying an additional 296,785 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 1,686.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 192,972 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $13,969,000 after buying an additional 182,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMJ Financial Wealth Management bought a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter valued at approximately $7,848,000.

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.