Morgan Stanley Increases Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $149.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $144.00 to $149.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target points to a potential downside of 9.37% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $150.41.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE:EAT opened at $164.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.70. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $56.27 and a fifty-two week high of $192.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.00.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 20,591 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,158,650.64. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062 over the last quarter. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth about $30,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 1,714.3% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter.

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.