Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New $6.51 Million Investment in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 49,187 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $6,507,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Brinker International as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have 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 fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 132.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EAT. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased 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, UBS Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $140.18.

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Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm'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 value of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock traded up $0.33 on Thursday, reaching $154.46. The stock had a trading volume of 866,632 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,417,782. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The business's 50-day moving average price is $156.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.94. The stock has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $43.37 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS 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.