Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Short Interest Up 7.1% in January

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EATGet Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,410,000 shares, an increase of 7.1% from the December 31st total of 5,050,000 shares. Approximately 12.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,200,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank Of America (Bofa) upped their price target on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Read Our Latest Report on Brinker International

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $204,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE:EAT traded down $0.60 on Tuesday, hitting $188.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 438,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,295,160. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International has a one year low of $42.99 and a one year high of $192.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EATGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Brinker International Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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