Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on EAT. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Bank Of America (Bofa) lifted their price target on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $135.48.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.3 %

EAT opened at $181.97 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $139.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.05. The company has a market capitalization of $8.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.54, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $40.50 and a 52 week high of $187.08.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 16,722.22% and a net margin of 5.45%. Analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth $204,000.

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.