Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

Key Points

• Evercore ISI raised its price target for Brinker International's stock from $180 to $190, indicating a potential upside of 20.62% from its previous close.
• The company's quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting a net margin of 6.50% and earnings per share of $2.49, surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.02.
• Analysts have given Brinker International a consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price of approximately $166.29, while several brokerages have issued varying price targets from $150 to $215.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Evercore ISI from $180.00 to $190.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "in-line" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Evercore ISI's target price suggests a potential upside of 20.62% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on EAT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $166.29.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded up $0.15 on Thursday, hitting $157.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 192,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,490,710. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $65.26 and a 12-month high of $192.21. The company has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $168.48 and a 200-day moving average of $158.35.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 99,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,916,236.92. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Brinker International during the 1st quarter valued at $206,000. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Brinker International during the 1st quarter valued at $1,036,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 1st quarter valued at $492,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 1st quarter valued at $565,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $1,336,000.

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.

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