Stevens Capital Management LP Buys Shares of 5,633 Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Stevens Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,633 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $745,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EAT. Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.18.

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Brinker International Price Performance

EAT traded up $0.33 on Thursday, reaching $154.46. 866,632 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,397,921. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The stock has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a PE ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $156.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.13.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.