Advisory Services Network LLC Invests $856,000 in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,467 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $856,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Shelton Capital Management acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Brinker International by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $64,785,000 after acquiring an additional 62,265 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 72,114 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,540,000 after acquiring an additional 7,791 shares during the period. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $555,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 71,812 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,500,000 after purchasing an additional 9,444 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on EAT. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group increased their price target on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wedbush raised their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.39.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $147.76 on Tuesday. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $43.37 and a fifty-two week high of $192.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.26.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

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.