Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.62.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Brinker International from $50.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Brinker International from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $92.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.96, a current ratio of 0.38 and a quick ratio of 0.32. Brinker International has a one year low of $31.95 and a one year high of $94.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.05. The company has a market capitalization of $4.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 2.51.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The restaurant operator reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.52% and a negative return on equity of 274.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 2.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,535,500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $275,004,000 after purchasing an additional 135,580 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its holdings in Brinker International by 231.8% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,583,239 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $78,602,000 after buying an additional 1,106,046 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 13,850.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $76,546,000 after buying an additional 1,049,836 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 31.7% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 942,510 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $68,228,000 after acquiring an additional 227,047 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 15.9% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 295,700 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $21,406,000 after acquiring an additional 40,500 shares in the last quarter.

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.