Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Purchased by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 123.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,199 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 6,185 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Brinker International were worth $857,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at about $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,845,000 after buying an additional 19,281 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $941,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Brinker International by 23.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $20,879,000 after acquiring an additional 51,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,273,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America boosted their price target on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $94.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:EAT traded up $2.93 on Friday, reaching $134.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,094,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,419,894. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.25 and a 12-month high of $136.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $114.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.79. The firm has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54.

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

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.