Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Given New $62.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price boosted by Stifel Nicolaus from $55.00 to $62.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wedbush raised their price target on Brinker International from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Brinker International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $46.06.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $54.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 2.42. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $28.23 and a 52 week high of $55.69. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $47.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.99.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.12 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 154.29% and a net margin of 3.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,246,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $20,401,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,853,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,503,198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $64,908,000 after acquiring an additional 296,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 411.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,719 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,394,000 after acquiring an additional 137,354 shares during the last quarter.

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.