Sciencast Management LP Purchases New Shares in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Sciencast Management LP bought 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 & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,494 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth about $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $146,000.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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Brinker International Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE EAT traded up $0.33 during trading on Thursday, hitting $154.46. 866,632 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,395,727. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $156.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.94. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The firm has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on EAT shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup upped their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $140.18.

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.