Bank of America Issues Positive Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by 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 points to a potential upside of 14.49% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley increased 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, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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 upped their target price on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.41.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $162.46. The stock had a trading volume of 278,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,452,937. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $168.49 and a 200 day moving average of $156.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.28. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $56.27 and a 1 year high of $192.22.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 20,591 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,158,650.64. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Brinker International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,526,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Rezny Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.9% during the second quarter. Rezny Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,581 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,088,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 4.2% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,933 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 148 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.