Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $50.00 at UBS Group

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective increased by UBS Group from $46.00 to $50.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

EAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Raymond James increased their target price on Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Brinker International from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Brinker International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $44.19.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $47.61 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $47.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 2.46. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $28.23 and a 1-year high of $51.72.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. Equities research analysts expect that Brinker International will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 56,661 shares in the company, valued at $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TFO Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 64,800.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 3,611.1% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 68.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Company Profile

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.