Barclays PLC Grows Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 195.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 169,202 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 111,841 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $22,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth about $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $77,865,000 after acquiring an additional 566,894 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 1,145.2% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $55,038,000 after acquiring an additional 382,633 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Brinker International by 4,710.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,150,000 after acquiring an additional 274,986 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $21,549,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $144.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction 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 $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 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 corporate insiders.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $153.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. 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 $148.81 and its 200 day moving average is $134.92. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $45.52 and a one year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Brinker International 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.