Morgan Stanley Increases Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $39.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $36.00 to $39.00 in a research report report published on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underweight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on EAT. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Brinker International from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Raymond James boosted their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $43.00.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of EAT opened at $45.01 on Friday. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $28.23 and a fifty-two week high of $51.72. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $46.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.67. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a PEG ratio of 0.73 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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

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

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 64,800.0% in the 4th 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 raised its position in Brinker International by 3,611.1% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000.

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.