Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Increased to $66.00 by Analysts at Barclays

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target upped by Barclays from $53.00 to $66.00 in a report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on EAT. Wedbush reissued a neutral rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded Brinker International from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $72.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $61.85.

Brinker International Trading Down 2.2 %

Brinker International stock opened at $65.57 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.39. The stock has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $28.23 and a 12-month high of $76.02.

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

Insider Activity at Brinker International

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 64,800.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3,611.1% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 96.2% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth $47,000.

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.