Vanguard Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,128,606 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 41,181 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.55% of Brinker International worth $678,463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $146,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’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 value of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE EAT opened at $147.58 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The business’s 50 day moving average is $156.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.46. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush upped their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

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.