Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) PT Raised to $39.00 at Morgan Stanley

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price upped by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $36.00 to $39.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 13.79% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Brinker International from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Raymond James upped their target price on Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock traded down $1.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $45.24. The company had a trading volume of 630,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,271,114. The company has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 2.46. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $28.23 and a twelve month high of $51.72. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.31.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.08 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Brinker International will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total value of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 56,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 64,800.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 3,611.1% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 68.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000.

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.