UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at UBS Group from $108.00 to $146.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.92% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $76.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $101.13.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $140.49 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $37.25 and a 12 month high of $142.47. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.62. The stock has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.27, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,879,000 after purchasing an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 399.9% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after buying an additional 19,281 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $941,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $2,273,000.

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.