Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Increased to $65.00 by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price hoisted by BMO Capital Markets from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.06.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $54.96 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 2.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.99. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $28.23 and a 1 year high of $55.69.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.09. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Brinker International will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total value of $1,086,610.11. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,522,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 332,176 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,493,000 after buying an additional 56,192 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 23,079 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $997,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 63.9% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 31,428 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $993,000 after acquiring an additional 12,251 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 411.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,719 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,394,000 after acquiring an additional 137,354 shares during the period.

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.