Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Increased to $47.00 by Analysts at Wedbush

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective lifted by Wedbush from $45.00 to $47.00 in a research report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on EAT. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Brinker International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $44.81.

Brinker International Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $49.65 on Friday. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $28.23 and a fifty-two week high of $51.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.82. The firm has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 113.41% and a net margin of 3.63%. Analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,318 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,070 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 13,408 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 500 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.