Wells Fargo & Company Increases Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $145.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $130.00 to $145.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank Of America (Bofa) raised their price objective on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.08.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:EAT opened at $154.84 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.77, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $38.96 and a 52 week high of $155.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $134.01 and a 200 day moving average of $97.84.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 1.1% in the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 6.1% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 2,966 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter.

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.