Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $186.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by equities research analysts at Bank of America from $185.00 to $186.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Bank of America's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 14.07% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on EAT. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.41.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock traded down $2.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $163.06. The company had a trading volume of 74,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,453,690. The company has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.70. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $56.27 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.00 and a 200-day moving average of $156.30.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 333.03% and a net margin of 6.50%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total transaction of $319,388.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 20,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,127 shares of company stock worth $2,128,062 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in Brinker International in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 227.3% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 252 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter.

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.

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