Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $166.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by analysts at Barclays from $155.00 to $166.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Barclays's price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.79% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms have also commented on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.41.

Brinker International Trading Down 2.2%

EAT traded down $3.63 during trading on Thursday, reaching $161.50. 1,528,159 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,457,555. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.70. The stock's 50-day moving average is $168.49 and its 200 day moving average is $156.80. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $56.27 and a 12 month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The business's revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total transaction of $319,388.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,522.81. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 99,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,916,236.92. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the first quarter worth $206,000. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth $1,036,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth $492,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth $565,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $1,336,000.

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.