Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 81,226 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $10,745,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned 0.18% of Brinker International at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% during 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 period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its position in Brinker International by 1,145.2% during the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $55,038,000 after purchasing an additional 382,633 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Brinker International by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,351,000 after buying an additional 219,836 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,611,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT traded down $9.32 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $140.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 541,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,950. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.99. The stock has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.49, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.