Analysts Set Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) PT at $139.39

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $144.47.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.0 %

EAT stock opened at $153.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.81 billion, a PE ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $44.54 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.03.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $76,413,000 after purchasing an additional 8,105 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 3,277.5% during the 4th 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. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,408,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $81,888,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Brinker International by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,351,000 after buying an additional 219,836 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.