Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Given New $50.00 Price Target at UBS Group

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

EAT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays upped their price target on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brinker International from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Gordon Haskett raised Brinker International from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Brinker International from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $44.81.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT stock opened at $48.83 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $47.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.61. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $28.23 and a fifty-two week high of $51.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 113.41% and a net margin of 3.63%. Equities analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,548,045.17. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International in the third quarter worth $57,246,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $20,401,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $12,853,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,503,198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $64,908,000 after buying an additional 296,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 411.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,719 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,394,000 after buying an additional 137,354 shares in the last quarter.

About Brinker International

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.