Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Rating Lowered by BMO Capital Markets

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was downgraded by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report released on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. They presently have a $105.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their prior price target of $80.00. BMO Capital Markets’ target price suggests a potential upside of 0.72% from the company’s previous close.

EAT has been the subject of several other reports. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of Brinker International in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $50.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $66.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $79.36.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $104.25 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.33. Brinker International has a one year low of $32.90 and a one year high of $106.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.96, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 2.51.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The restaurant operator reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.04). Brinker International had a net margin of 3.52% and a negative return on equity of 274.62%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.1% in the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.3% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 96.2% during 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. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Brinker International by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,382 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $896,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period.

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.