Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price Down 5.6% – What’s Next?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) traded down 5.6% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $136.62 and last traded at $137.48. 161,698 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,399,031 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upped their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The company has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 24.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $155.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.34.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $83,000.

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.