Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Hits New 12-Month High at $50.25

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $50.25 and last traded at $50.10, with a volume of 130221 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.03.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded Brinker International from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $36.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.38.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.3 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $45.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.53, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 113.41% and a net margin of 3.63%. As a group, research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,399,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $233,169,000 after purchasing an additional 30,861 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $875,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Brinker International by 220.4% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 200,858 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $8,673,000 after acquiring an additional 138,173 shares in the last quarter.

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.