Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Boosts Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 120.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 176,300 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 96,200 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.40% of Brinker International worth $23,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,140,000. EAM Investors LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $5,413,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Mariner LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 64.8% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,482 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,122,000 after acquiring an additional 3,336 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 195.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 169,202 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $22,383,000 after purchasing an additional 111,841 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. This 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 worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" 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 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen investment 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 company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Brinker International stock traded up $1.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $158.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,477,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,455,304. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $148.46 and a 200-day moving average of $135.92. 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 has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.74 and a twelve month high of $192.22.

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