Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded to “Buy” at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $150.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock.

EAT has been the topic of several other research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Brinker International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.53.

Brinker International Trading Up 3.1 %

NYSE EAT opened at $137.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $37.25 and a 12-month high of $137.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.33.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,746 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter worth about $166,000. Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Parametrica Management Ltd acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $209,000.

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.