Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Barclays from $190.00 to $165.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Barclays's price objective indicates a potential upside of 5.90% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wedbush upped their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp cut Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded up $6.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $155.81. The company had a trading volume of 699,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,448,897. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $45.52 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $148.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. On average, analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last ninety days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 8,187.9% in the 1st quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,735 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 2,702 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 19,942 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,972,000 after purchasing an additional 6,359 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,267 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $934,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 153.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 783 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 3.3% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 50,632 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $7,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.