Evercore ISI Issues Positive Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI from $180.00 to $190.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “in-line” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Evercore ISI’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 20.22% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on EAT. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America lifted their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.41.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $158.04 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.31. Brinker International has a one year low of $65.26 and a one year high of $192.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.98 and its 200-day moving average is $158.41.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total value of $1,703,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 99,297 shares in the company, valued at $16,916,236.92. This trade represents a 9.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $1,307,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 28,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,236,583 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $222,993,000 after purchasing an additional 240,870 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 86.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,091,692 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $196,865,000 after purchasing an additional 506,087 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,071,523 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $193,619,000 after acquiring an additional 14,033 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in 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 valued at $130,615,000 after acquiring an additional 958,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 967,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $144,201,000 after purchasing an additional 46,896 shares during the period.

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.