Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.34.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Wedbush increased their target price on Brinker International from $56.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $53.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 40,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.45, for a total transaction of $2,421,022.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 66,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,006,988.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Prashant Ranade sold 1,100 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.47, for a total value of $68,717.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,039 shares in the company, valued at $1,064,426.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 40,050 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.45, for a total transaction of $2,421,022.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 66,286 shares in the company, valued at $4,006,988.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 57,714 shares of company stock worth $3,637,623. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter worth $25,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 64,800.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Brinker International by 3,611.1% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 96.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the first quarter worth about $47,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $65.81 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.77 and its 200-day moving average is $56.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $28.23 and a 52 week high of $76.02.

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.