Brokerages Set Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) PT at $140.18

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

Several analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Argus raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Brinker International Stock Down 5.7 %

Brinker International stock opened at $144.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.54. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $43.37 and a 52 week high of $192.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $150.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.18. 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 (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 0.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $76,413,000 after acquiring an additional 8,105 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Brinker International by 3,277.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 987,334 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $130,615,000 after acquiring an additional 958,101 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 4.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 691,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $52,900,000 after acquiring an additional 28,373 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $82,408,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $81,888,000.

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.