WINTON GROUP Ltd Acquires New Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,655 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $351,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $77,865,000 after acquiring an additional 566,894 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in Brinker International by 1,145.2% during the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $55,038,000 after acquiring an additional 382,633 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 4,710.3% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $37,150,000 after acquiring an additional 274,986 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Brinker International by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $47,351,000 after purchasing an additional 219,836 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock traded up $4.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $155.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,019,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,438,556. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. 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 company has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.91, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $156.72 and a 200-day moving average of $128.60.

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Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp cut Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. 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, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International 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 owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.