Brokerages Set Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Price Target at $140.18

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EAT shares. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. KeyCorp cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $144.74 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $150.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $43.37 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21. The company has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $83,000.

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.