Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $124.41 and last traded at $123.32, with a volume of 219770 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $122.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EAT shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 target price on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.45.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 2.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $91.01 and its 200-day moving average is $75.47.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results 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. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the first quarter worth $25,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 96.2% in the second 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. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Brinker International by 32,500.0% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,304 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 1,746 shares during the last quarter.

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.