Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $145.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $130.00 to $145.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on EAT. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on Brinker International from $95.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Raymond James cut Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.08.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT stock traded up $2.23 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $154.84. 846,732 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 992,952. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $38.96 and a 52 week high of $155.13. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $133.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of 37.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 2.52.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 5.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth about $83,000. Xponance Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $203,000.

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.