Short Interest in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Grows By 7.1%

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,410,000 shares, an increase of 7.1% from the December 15th total of 5,050,000 shares. Approximately 12.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,200,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $144.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 717,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 848,342. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $38.13 and a 52 week high of $147.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.41 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 2.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $131.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.78.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on EAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Argus raised 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. Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their price target on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $204,000.

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.