Nebula Research & Development LLC Trims Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Nebula Research & Development LLC cut its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 51.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,006 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 15,031 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,853,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% during 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 boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during 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 acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $126,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade 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 valued at $3,752,464 over the last quarter. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.2 %

EAT opened at $159.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.01 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The business’s 50 day moving average is $148.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.10. The firm has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

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.