Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $160.67, but opened at $147.00. Brinker International shares last traded at $136.51, with a volume of 1,689,383 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on EAT. Barclays reduced their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.14.

Brinker International Stock Performance

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $146.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $139.29. The company has a market capitalization of $5.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Brinker International by 1,714.3% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $38,000 after buying 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.