Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup increased their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price target on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank Of America (Bofa) increased their price objective on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Price Performance

NYSE:EAT opened at $181.97 on Friday. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $40.50 and a 12-month high of $187.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 2.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.31. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 16,722.22% and a net margin of 5.45%. On average, analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors bought a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $434,000. Truist Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its stake in Brinker International by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 13,557 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 287,456 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,028,000 after buying an additional 14,634 shares during the last quarter.

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.