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

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

Several research firms have recently issued reports on EAT. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Brinker International Price Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $144.93 on Monday. Brinker International has a one year low of $43.37 and a one year high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The business has a fifty day moving average of $155.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.79. The company has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,330,000.

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.