Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Given New $146.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $108.00 to $146.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on EAT. Citigroup increased their target price on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised their price objective on Brinker International from $76.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $95.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James cut shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.53.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of EAT opened at $139.69 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $127.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $37.25 and a 1-year high of $142.47.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Brinker International will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 1,746 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at about $202,000. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at about $204,000.

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.