Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) COO Sells $1,253,250.00 in Stock

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT stock traded down $3.55 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $164.32. 1,778,894 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,363,801. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a PE ratio of 28.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.99 and a 52 week high of $192.21. 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 fifty day moving average price of $145.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.47.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on EAT. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after purchasing an additional 19,281 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $941,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,273,000.

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.