Fmr LLC Lowers Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Fmr LLC lessened its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,519,392 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 545,023 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC owned about 0.08% of Brinker International worth $269,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 96.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Brinker International by 1,111.8% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,266 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $164,000 after acquiring an additional 2,079 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $166,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on EAT shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $76.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Argus downgraded Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Raymond James lowered Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.45.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $132.27 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.93 and a 200 day moving average of $79.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.26, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.46. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $35.60 and a fifty-two week high of $133.82.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

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.