Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $94.00 at UBS Group

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target increased by UBS Group from $70.00 to $94.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

EAT has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Brinker International from $69.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America upgraded Brinker International from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $63.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Argus downgraded Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $71.74.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $89.29 on Thursday. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $31.95 and a 12 month high of $91.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.96. The stock has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 2.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.20.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Cetera Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the first quarter valued at about $714,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 36.7% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 279,974 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $13,908,000 after purchasing an additional 75,225 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Brinker International by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,535,500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $275,004,000 after buying an additional 135,580 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in Brinker International by 231.8% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,583,239 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $78,602,000 after buying an additional 1,106,046 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,686.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 192,972 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $13,969,000 after buying an additional 182,172 shares during 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.