Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $141.14.

EAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $128.54 on Tuesday. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $55.43 and a fifty-two week high of $192.22. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $146.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in Brinker International by 1,714.3% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period.

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.

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