Brokerages Set Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Price Target at $44.19

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.81.

Several research analysts have commented on EAT shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on Brinker International from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Brinker International from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE EAT opened at $48.83 on Friday. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $28.23 and a 12 month high of $51.72. The stock has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 2.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $47.17 and its 200 day moving average is $41.69.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.05. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.08 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total value of $1,086,610.11. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 56,661 shares in the company, valued at $2,548,045.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 1st quarter valued at about $537,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 8.5% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,190 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the first quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 11.4% in the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 11,419 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Brinker International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,399,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $233,169,000 after purchasing an additional 30,861 shares during the period.

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.