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

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,128,606 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 41,181 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Brinker International worth $678,463,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 100.0% in 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. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $146,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $147.58 on Monday. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The company has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EAT. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

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.