Everence Capital Management Inc. Sells 5,180 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Everence Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 66.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,620 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 5,180 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Brinker International were worth $347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter worth approximately $209,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter worth approximately $202,000.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EAT shares. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $103.53.

Brinker International Stock Down 2.8 %

Brinker International stock traded down $3.98 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $136.84. 1,026,695 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 982,174. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.25 and a 1-year high of $142.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $126.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.08. The stock has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Company 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.