Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on EAT. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Brinker International from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.80.

Brinker International Trading Up 6.4%

NYSE:EAT opened at $220.66 on Tuesday. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $254.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $207.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $175.28. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.37.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 125.65%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Brinker International will post 13.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Daniel Fuller sold 1,909 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.54, for a total transaction of $484,007.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 30,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,651,076.58. This trade represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director James Katzman sold 650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.09, for a total value of $143,058.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,522,938.46. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 213,694 shares of company stock valued at $50,383,890. Insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 33,000.0% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Brinker International by 881.2% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 471 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc is a casual-dining restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises restaurants in the United States and select international markets. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and serves customers through company-operated and franchised locations.

Brinker’s principal brands are Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy. Chili’s offers a broad menu of burgers, steaks, ribs, fajitas, Tex-Mex dishes, salads and beverages in a full-service, casual setting.