Virtu Financial LLC Acquires Shares of 4,245 Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,245 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $562,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 23.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $400,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on EAT. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised 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. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.18.

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Brinker International Stock Down 4.4 %

Shares of Brinker International stock traded down $6.81 on Friday, reaching $147.58. 1,089,950 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,442,243. The company has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a PEG 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. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $43.37 and a one year high of $192.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $156.67 and a 200 day moving average of $127.06.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 approximately $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last 90 days. Company 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.