Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Sets New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $143.15 and last traded at $141.70, with a volume of 77191 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $139.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Brinker International from $83.00 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 company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. KeyCorp upped their price target 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. Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.28.

Brinker International Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 2.52. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.77. 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 (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. Brinker International’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. 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 worth $20,879,000 after purchasing an additional 51,927 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter worth $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 19,281 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at $941,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth $2,273,000.

Brinker International Company Profile

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.