Easterly Investment Partners LLC Trims Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Easterly Investment Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 33.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,633 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 9,534 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Brinker International were worth $2,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $76,413,000 after purchasing an additional 8,105 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 691,230 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $52,900,000 after buying an additional 28,373 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $81,888,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Brinker International by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,351,000 after acquiring an additional 219,836 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $77,865,000 after acquiring an additional 566,894 shares during the period.

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Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $147.61. The stock had a trading volume of 688,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,439,435. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $156.67 and a 200-day moving average of $127.46. The firm has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $43.37 and a fifty-two week high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $140.18.

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.