Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 34,341 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 597 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Brinker International were worth $4,543,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EAT. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 0.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $76,413,000 after acquiring an additional 8,105 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 691,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $52,900,000 after purchasing an additional 28,373 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $81,888,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 55.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,351,000 after acquiring an additional 219,836 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $77,865,000 after acquiring an additional 566,894 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on EAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays upped their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $154.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $155.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $125.11. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.37 and a 12 month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released 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 return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current 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.