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

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,526,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of EAT traded up $4.10 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $145.51. The stock had a trading volume of 1,361,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,406,511. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $6.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $155.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.13. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.