Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $120.00 to $155.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Brinker International from $95.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.28.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $138.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $127.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.82, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $37.25 and a 12-month high of $142.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised 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 valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter worth $202,000. Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth $204,000.

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.