Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $149.51 and last traded at $148.84, with a volume of 93043 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $144.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $108.29.

Brinker International Stock Up 4.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $131.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.47. The company has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.78, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 2.52.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $242,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $304,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at $203,000.

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.