Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 153,495 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Fisher Asset Management LLC decreased its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 22.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 537,735 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 153,495 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 1.21% of Brinker International worth $71,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $77,865,000 after purchasing an additional 566,894 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1,145.2% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $55,038,000 after purchasing an additional 382,633 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 55.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $47,351,000 after purchasing an additional 219,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,611,000.

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Brinker International Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE EAT traded down $2.23 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $150.30. 1,241,527 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,392,238. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $154.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The firm has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.05, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EAT. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.