Swiss National Bank Purchases 1,100 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,100 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $11,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in EAT. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $146,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $269,000. Amundi lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 553.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 51,197 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,143,000 after purchasing an additional 43,364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 93.9% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,164 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 3,470 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on EAT. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $145.51 on Friday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.37 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $155.44 and its 200 day moving average is $123.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

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.