Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Shares Up 4.8% – Still a Buy?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s share price shot up 4.8% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $152.00 and last traded at $151.78. Approximately 1,167,833 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 1,407,118 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EAT. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Trading Up 5.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $150.90 and its 200-day moving average is $113.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 113,946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,720,000 after buying an additional 12,800 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $18,330,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.1% during the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 24.5% during the third quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 11,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $887,000 after purchasing an additional 2,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE increased its stake in Brinker International by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 13,339 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,021,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the last quarter.

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.