Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 83,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 20,798 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.19% of Brinker International worth $10,984,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in Brinker International by 1,145.2% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 382,633 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 4,710.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $37,150,000 after purchasing an additional 274,986 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth $21,549,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on EAT shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Stock Up 1.2 %

EAT opened at $159.15 on Monday. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $48.37 and a one year high of $192.22. The company has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The business's fifty day moving average is $148.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.86. 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 (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS 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.

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