Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Given New $165.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $175.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target indicates a potential upside of 3.68% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on EAT. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays boosted their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp cut Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $142.53.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.2 %

EAT traded up $1.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $159.15. 1,331,481 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,461,622. The stock's 50-day moving average is $148.27 and its 200 day moving average is $137.48. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $48.37 and a 12 month high of $192.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Optimist Retirement Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Brinker International by 23.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $20,879,000 after purchasing an additional 51,927 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 136.8% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 49,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 28,322 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $77,865,000 after buying an additional 566,894 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.