Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 5,413 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 43.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 5,413 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Brinker International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,526,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 123.9% in 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. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,989 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,718,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.9 %

NYSE EAT opened at $155.25 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.20. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.37 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $156.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International 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.