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

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $156.4118.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $157.68 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $58.85 and a 1-year high of $192.21. The company has a market cap of $7.01 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $168.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.35.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. Brinker International’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total value of $1,703,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 99,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,916,236.92. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in Brinker International by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 62,196 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,228,000 after purchasing an additional 9,062 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,507,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 195.0% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 169,202 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $22,383,000 after buying an additional 111,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 64.8% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,482 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,122,000 after buying an additional 3,336 shares in 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.