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

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wedbush raised their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

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

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth $5,330,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth $705,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,845,000 after acquiring an additional 19,281 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 74.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,324 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,310,000 after acquiring an additional 24,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 21.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,600 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT stock opened at $139.34 on Monday. 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 capitalization of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The business’s 50-day moving average is $155.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.06. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Company Profile

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.