KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes $1.18 Million Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,177,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth 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 period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at about $146,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on EAT. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT stock opened at $147.58 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $156.67 and a 200-day moving average of $127.06. The firm has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.