Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $149.51 and last traded at $148.84, with a volume of 93043 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $144.12.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on EAT. KeyCorp increased their target price on Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Raymond James downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Brinker International from $95.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $108.29.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.9 %

The company has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 2.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $133.24 and its 200-day moving average is $97.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. Nilsine Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 2,966 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $392,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Brinker International by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,844 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $304,000.

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.