O Neil Global Advisors Inc. Invests $1.31 Million in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

O Neil Global Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 9,889 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,308,000. Brinker International accounts for 0.4% of O Neil Global Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,879,000 after acquiring an additional 51,927 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $661,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,330,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 399.9% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,845,000 after buying an additional 19,281 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus upgraded 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. Barclays increased their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp cut 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. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT stock opened at $153.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 2.54. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $150.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.23. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.37 and a 52-week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.