Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $133.83 and last traded at $133.77, with a volume of 1053608 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on EAT. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their target price on Brinker International from $76.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank Of America (Bofa) lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.38.

Brinker International Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $114.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.79. The stock has a market cap of $5.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 96.2% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth approximately $352,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1.3% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $967,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,111.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,266 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 2,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in Brinker International by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 22,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,622,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in 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.