Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Lowered to $165.00 at Barclays

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective decreased by Barclays from $190.00 to $165.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $156.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $148.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.92. Brinker International has a one year low of $46.74 and a one year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. 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 over the last quarter. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter.

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.