Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $165.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $175.00 to $165.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

EAT has been the subject of several other research reports. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.9 %

EAT stock opened at $157.18 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $148.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $46.95 and a fifty-two week high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Brinker International by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at about $400,000.

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.