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

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $139.39.

Several research analysts have commented on EAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $142.96 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued 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 return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. As a group, research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000.

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.