Barclays Increases Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $143.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Barclays from $95.00 to $143.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.55% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on EAT. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Argus raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of 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 research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded down $4.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $136.78. The company had a trading volume of 402,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 818,768. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $37.25 and a 1 year high of $142.47. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $125.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.62.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in 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 grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $202,000. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $204,000.

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.