Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price raised by Barclays from $95.00 to $143.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

EAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America increased their target price on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. 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. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $139.69 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $127.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $37.25 and a 52 week high of $142.47.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. Brinker International’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS 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 that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 1,265.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Parametrica Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at approximately $202,000.

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.