Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Stock Has Average Price Target of $249.80 According to Brokerages

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $249.80.

EAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Brinker International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Mizuho increased their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $270.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.2%

EAT stock opened at $204.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $205.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.01. The company has a market cap of $8.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.37. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $102.92 and a twelve month high of $254.99.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 125.65%. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.17 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 13.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.15, for a total transaction of $9,726,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 144,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,035,483.50. This represents a 21.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Aaron M. White sold 16,220 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total transaction of $3,831,488.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,099,822.32. This trade represents a 27.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 213,694 shares of company stock valued at $50,383,890. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Brinker International by 18.0% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 63,795 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,718,000 after acquiring an additional 9,733 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth $2,258,000. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,710,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Brinker International by 37.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 242,648 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,643,000 after acquiring an additional 66,383 shares during the period. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter worth about $766,000.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is a casual-dining restaurant company based in Dallas, Texas. It owns, operates and franchises restaurants under the Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy brands.

Chili’s serves a broad menu of American and Tex-Mex-inspired dishes, including burgers, ribs and fajitas. Maggiano’s specializes in Italian-American cuisine, with dishes such as pasta and other classic entrées.

The company traces its roots to 1975, when founder Norman Brinker opened the first Chili’s restaurant in Dallas.