Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Raised to $146.00

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

EAT has been the topic of several other reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Brinker International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price target on Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $103.53.

Brinker International Trading Down 2.8 %

EAT traded down $3.98 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $136.84. 1,026,695 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 982,174. The company's fifty day moving average price is $126.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $37.25 and a fifty-two week high of $142.47.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the firm'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 value of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $136,000 after buying an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $203,000. Parametrica Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at about $202,000.

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.