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

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 13,557 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 123,349 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,318,000 after purchasing an additional 22,535 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in Brinker International by 110.1% in the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,737 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,125,000 after buying an additional 20,302 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 69,201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,155,000 after buying an additional 10,844 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $161.64 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $43.37 and a 1-year high of $192.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 2.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. As a group, analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.