Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Receives $140.18 Average PT from Brokerages

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen equities research 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 updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

EAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE:EAT opened at $141.63 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.13. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share 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, research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,330,000. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $705,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after purchasing an additional 19,281 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 74.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,324 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,310,000 after purchasing an additional 24,028 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,600 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,317 shares during the period.

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.