Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $103.53.

EAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised 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 note on Tuesday. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $95.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

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 on 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 owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Brinker International by 13,850.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $76,546,000 after acquiring an additional 1,049,836 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $76,413,000 after purchasing an additional 8,105 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 31.7% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 942,510 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $68,228,000 after buying an additional 227,047 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 4.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 691,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $52,900,000 after buying an additional 28,373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Brinker International by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $47,351,000 after buying an additional 219,836 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Price Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $136.84 on Wednesday. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $37.25 and a 52-week 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $126.13 and its 200 day moving average is $92.08. The company has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.38, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.