JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $160.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target hoisted by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $140.00 to $160.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential downside of 12.41% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James cut shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $127.33.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock traded up $2.87 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $182.66. 267,138 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,197,809. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $136.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.66. The company has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 2.52. 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 12-month low of $40.50 and a 12-month high of $183.55.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $76,413,000 after acquiring an additional 8,105 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 4.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 691,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $52,900,000 after purchasing an additional 28,373 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,888,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,351,000 after buying an additional 219,836 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $77,865,000 after buying an additional 566,894 shares in the last quarter.

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.