Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded at ValuEngine

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) was upgraded by stock analysts at ValuEngine from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on EAT. Maxim Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. CIBC reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Brinker International in a report on Friday, April 21st. Zacks Investment Research raised Brinker International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Brinker International in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.62.

Shares of Brinker International (NYSE EAT) opened at 35.04 on Thursday. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $34.92 and a 1-year high of $55.84. The company has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 0.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $37.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.87.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $810.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $817.50 million. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 39.89% and a net margin of 5.05%. The company’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Brinker International will post $3.14 EPS for the current year.

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In other Brinker International news, EVP Steve Provost sold 2,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.06, for a total value of $121,165.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,312,106.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Roy Doyle sold 7,182 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.41, for a total value of $318,952.62. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,074 shares in the company, valued at $2,401,426.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. LS Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 14.2% in the second quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,689 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $179,000 after buying an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. Kernodle & Katon Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 0.4% in the first quarter. Kernodle & Katon Asset Management Group LLC now owns 4,864 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Eqis Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 0.3% in the first quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,393 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segantii Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter valued at approximately $286,000.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is engaged in the ownership, operation, development, and franchising of the Chili’s Grill & Bar (Chili’s) and Maggiano’s Little Italy (Maggiano’s) restaurant brands. The Company’s Chili’s operates Bar & Grill category of casual dining. Chili’s menu features authentic Fresh Mex and Fresh Tex cuisine, including signature items, such as Baby Back Ribs smoked in-house, Hand-Crafted Burgers served with house-made garlic dill pickles, Mix and Match Fajitas, Tableside Guacamole and house-made Chips and Salsa.

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