Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 71,812 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 9,444 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of Brinker International worth $9,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at $400,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on EAT shares. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $139.39.

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Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.3 %

NYSE EAT traded up $3.39 on Tuesday, reaching $151.03. 1,513,232 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,456,432. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.37 and a 12 month high of $192.22. The company has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.17, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $150.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal 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.