Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Hits New 52-Week High at $50.25

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) hit a new 52-week high 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.38.

Brinker International Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.06. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.05. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 64,800.0% in the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 3,611.1% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period.

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.