Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Position Trimmed by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 995,199 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 3,079 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.24% of Brinker International worth $131,686,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EAT. Summit Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $309,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 55,221 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,305,000 after acquiring an additional 4,119 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 44.7% during the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 28,495 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,770,000 after acquiring an additional 8,796 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,235,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $21,549,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on EAT. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Down 4.0 %

EAT stock opened at $131.14 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.85. 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 quarterly earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was 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 currently owned by company insiders.

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.