Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) COO Douglas N. Comings Sells 7,500 Shares of Stock

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) 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 directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Brinker International Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $164.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.02 and a 200 day moving average of $108.17. The company has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a PE ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.99 and a 12-month high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $146,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Raymond James lowered Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

About Brinker International

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.