Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Boosts Stock Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 1,145.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 382,633 shares during the period. Brinker International accounts for 1.0% of Wedge Capital Management L L P NC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned about 0.94% of Brinker International worth $55,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Burford Brothers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. Parametrica Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $202,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:EAT traded up $0.63 on Friday, hitting $144.17. The stock had a trading volume of 717,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 848,342. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.13 and a 1 year high of $147.65. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $131.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.61. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 2.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. Brinker International's revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on EAT. Citigroup boosted their price target on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.29.

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.