Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $103.53.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Raymond James downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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 owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares during the period. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Parametrica Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $209,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $136.84 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The stock has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 33.38, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. The company’s fifty day moving average is $126.13 and its 200 day moving average is $92.08. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $37.25 and a 52 week high of $142.47.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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.