Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $138.60 and last traded at $138.02, with a volume of 222203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.29.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on EAT. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $76.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.53.

Brinker International Trading Up 5.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The company has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $122.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.98.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. 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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.9% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,382 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in Brinker International by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 27,863 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,132,000 after buying an additional 732 shares during the period.

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.