Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Raised to "Buy" at Argus

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Argus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $150.00 target price on the restaurant operator's stock. Argus' price objective points to a potential upside of 9.34% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on EAT. Raymond James lowered shares of Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Brinker International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock traded up $4.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $137.19. 354,662 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,413,549. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $117.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.33. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $37.25 and a twelve month high of $137.21. The firm has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32.

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

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 33.2% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 1,265.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 1,746 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth $166,000. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth $202,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $203,000.

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.