Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $165.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $175.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price would suggest a potential upside of 10.00% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on EAT. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $143.92.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $150.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.77. Brinker International has a one year low of $45.52 and a one year high of $192.22.

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

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $400,000.

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.

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