Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $155.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) had its target price upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $120.00 to $155.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $95.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Fifteen 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.28.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of EAT stock traded down $0.86 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $138.66. 1,161,189 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,006,081. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $127.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.74. The stock has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $37.25 and a 12 month high of $142.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its position 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 during the period. Xponance Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at approximately $204,000.

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.