Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Purchased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,221 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 4,119 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.12% of Brinker International worth $7,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 44.7% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 28,495 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,770,000 after buying an additional 8,796 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,235,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $21,549,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $351,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 152,434 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $20,165,000 after purchasing an additional 21,110 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Northcoast Research raised 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $139.39.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, 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 Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of Brinker International stock traded up $3.39 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $151.03. 1,513,232 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,456,432. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The firm has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.17, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $150.37 and its 200 day moving average is $133.26.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.