Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Short Interest Up 7.1% in January

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,410,000 shares, a growth of 7.1% from the December 31st total of 5,050,000 shares. Approximately 12.4% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,200,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, 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 approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the 3rd 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 period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter worth approximately $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,845,000 after purchasing an additional 19,281 shares during the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter worth approximately $941,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,273,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on EAT shares. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock traded down $10.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $172.17. 1,652,997 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,304,343. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $143.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.41. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $42.99 and a 52 week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Brinker International

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.