Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $105.00 to $125.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock. Brinker International traded as high as $155.55 and last traded at $155.23, with a volume of 921257 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.82.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 note on Thursday, October 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. KeyCorp downgraded Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays increased their price target on Brinker International from $143.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were 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. The trade was 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 hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in 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. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,000. Xponance Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $203,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 2.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $135.89 and its 200 day moving average is $100.11.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The business 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%. Brinker International’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current 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.