Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Sold by North Growth Management Ltd.

North Growth Management Ltd. lessened its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 174,000 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 39,000 shares during the period. Brinker International accounts for approximately 4.4% of North Growth Management Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. North Growth Management Ltd. owned about 0.39% of Brinker International worth $23,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $83,000. Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $209,000.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.1 %

Brinker International stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $164.00. 1,626,864 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,375,089. The company has a fifty day moving average of $146.72 and a 200-day moving average of $108.56. The company has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.99 and a twelve month high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EAT. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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. Finally, Raymond James cut shares of Brinker International from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Fourteen 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.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.18.

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.