Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Purchased by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 62,265 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned about 1.10% of Brinker International worth $64,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% in the fourth 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 lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,145.2% in the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $55,038,000 after buying an additional 382,633 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Brinker International by 4,710.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $37,150,000 after buying an additional 274,986 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,549,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on EAT. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. KeyCorp downgraded Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup lowered 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. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $144.47.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Brinker International stock traded up $2.95 on Friday, reaching $153.28. The stock had a trading volume of 1,061,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,458,263. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $44.54 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $149.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21.

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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, 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 90 days, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 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.