Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target boosted by Barclays from $143.00 to $150.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on EAT. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $109.45.

Brinker International Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of EAT stock opened at $149.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 2.52. The business’s fifty day moving average is $134.65 and its 200-day moving average is $98.39. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $39.11 and a 1 year high of $155.13.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released 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. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Brinker International will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,879,000 after purchasing an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,845,000 after purchasing an additional 19,281 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at approximately $941,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third 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.