Victory Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 22.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,983 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,675 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $2,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EAT. Sage Rhino Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth $281,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth about $126,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 132.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. Williamson Legacy Group LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 11,195 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,481,000 after acquiring an additional 2,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,132 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on EAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush increased their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $139.34 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $122.06. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.