Stifel Nicolaus Raises Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $155.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $120.00 to $155.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.78% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.28.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of EAT opened at $138.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $37.25 and a 12 month high of $142.47. The stock has a market cap of $6.16 billion, a PE ratio of 33.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $128.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.33.

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

Insider Buying and Selling 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 136.8% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 49,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 28,322 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Brinker International by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares in the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its position in Brinker International by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at $286,000.

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.