MML Investors Services LLC Grows Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 123.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,199 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,185 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EAT. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 96.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,111.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,266 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 2,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at about $166,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $134.26 on Friday. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.25 and a fifty-two week high of $136.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $114.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The stock has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.63.

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.