Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Given New $69.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price upped by Evercore ISI from $65.00 to $69.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an in-line rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. KeyCorp raised Brinker International from a sector weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday. Wedbush boosted their price target on Brinker International from $56.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Brinker International from $48.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $60.58.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:EAT traded down $1.22 on Thursday, reaching $65.84. 1,107,770 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,506,698. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $28.23 and a 52-week high of $76.02. The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.30 and a 200-day moving average of $57.00.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The restaurant operator reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.55% and a negative return on equity of 154.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.31, for a total transaction of $683,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 38,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,606,982.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.31, for a total value of $683,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 38,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,606,982.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Daniel S. Fuller sold 3,611 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total transaction of $249,303.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 34,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,400,106.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,564 shares of company stock worth $1,147,884 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in Brinker International by 52.9% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 39,274 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,696,000 after purchasing an additional 13,582 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 248.7% in the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 3,379 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 2,410 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 19,747 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $853,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $954,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $291,000.

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.