Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $150.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group upped their price target on Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.53.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.1 %

EAT opened at $137.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $37.25 and a fifty-two week high of $137.86. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $119.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.44, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,330,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after acquiring an additional 19,281 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $941,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,273,000.

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.