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

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.18.

Several equities analysts recently commented on EAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE EAT opened at $144.93 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $155.57 and its 200-day moving average is $124.53. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The firm 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. Sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.