Franklin Resources Inc. Trims Stock Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 97.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 60,852 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 2,223,956 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $8,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th 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. GAMMA Investing LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $146,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on EAT shares. Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $146.21 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $152.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.44. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. As a group, research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last ninety days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.