Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Lowered to $165.00 at Barclays

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) had its price objective trimmed by Barclays from $190.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

EAT has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Brinker International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Argus raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $142.53.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE EAT traded up $1.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $159.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,331,481 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,461,622. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $48.37 and a 1-year high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $148.27 and a 200 day moving average of $137.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $20,879,000 after purchasing an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $400,000.

About Brinker International

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.