Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.53.

EAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James lowered shares of Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Brinker International by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,382 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 33.2% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in Brinker International by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 27,863 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the period.

Brinker International Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE EAT traded up $0.19 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $132.29. 700,803 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,404,557. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $37.25 and a 12-month high of $137.86. The firm has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.27, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $121.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.68.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The company's revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS for the current 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.