HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 1,424 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 25.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,424 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th 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. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,989 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,718,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT stock opened at $147.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $156.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.06. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22. 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) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 over the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 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 issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

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.