Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $165.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on EAT. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $156.41.

Brinker International Stock Down 2.2%

EAT stock traded down $3.63 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $161.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,528,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,457,555. The company has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 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 current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm's 50-day moving average is $168.49 and its 200-day moving average is $156.80.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS 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 firm 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 EPS. Brinker International's revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were 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 directly owned 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total value of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,158,650.64. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,127 shares of company stock worth $2,128,062 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Brinker International by 3,277.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 987,334 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $130,615,000 after purchasing an additional 958,101 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $82,408,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the first quarter worth approximately $76,114,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its holdings in Brinker International by 102.0% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 995,713 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $148,411,000 after purchasing an additional 502,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,929,000.

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.