Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Reaches New 12-Month Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday after Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on the stock from $165.00 to $150.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Brinker International traded as low as $130.76 and last traded at $134.32, with a volume of 2548912 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $136.89.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on EAT. UBS Group boosted their price target on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 575.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 1,714.3% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Down 3.2 %

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.65. The company has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.24 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

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.