Stephens Inc. AR Acquires Shares of 5,000 Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,000 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $661,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Finally, Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $209,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective 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. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT traded up $8.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $166.97. The stock had a trading volume of 776,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,364,353. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.83. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $43.37 and a one year high of $192.21. The firm has a market cap of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International 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 sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, 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 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.