Ifrah Financial Services Inc. Buys New Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,120 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth $218,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 12.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 113,946 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $8,720,000 after purchasing an additional 12,800 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter worth $18,330,000. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 1.1% in the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EAT has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Trading Down 5.7 %

NYSE:EAT traded down $8.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $144.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,017,667 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,416,109. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $150.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $112.83. 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 twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.21. The stock has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 2.54.

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

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.