Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $143.15 and last traded at $141.70, with a volume of 77191 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $139.81.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $105.28.

Brinker International Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $128.88 and a 200-day moving average of $93.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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 $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter worth $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.