Prudential Financial Inc. Has $20.17 Million Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Prudential Financial Inc. grew its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 152,434 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 21,110 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $20,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at $146,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on EAT shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’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 value of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Stock Down 2.4 %

EAT opened at $154.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $156.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.94. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. Research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

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.