BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective boosted by BMO Capital Markets from $105.00 to $125.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on EAT. Bank Of America (Bofa) increased their target price on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. KeyCorp downgraded Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.29.

Brinker International Trading Up 16.2 %

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $179.59 on Monday. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $40.12 and a 1 year high of $181.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 2.52. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $136.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.66.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at about $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Brinker International by 2,612.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $77,865,000 after purchasing an additional 566,894 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in Brinker International by 1,145.2% in the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $55,038,000 after purchasing an additional 382,633 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 31.7% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 942,510 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $68,228,000 after purchasing an additional 227,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 55.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,351,000 after buying an additional 219,836 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.