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

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective upped by research analysts at UBS Group from $46.00 to $50.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. UBS Group’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 4.65% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.19.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $47.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 224,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,283,275. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 2.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $46.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.31. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $28.23 and a fifty-two week high of $51.72.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 113.41% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $537,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,190 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares during the period. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Brinker International in the 1st quarter worth $99,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 11,419 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,399,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $233,169,000 after purchasing an additional 30,861 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.