Virtu Financial LLC Makes New $562,000 Investment in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,245 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $562,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised 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 worth $77,865,000 after acquiring an additional 566,894 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1,145.2% in the fourth 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 period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 55.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,351,000 after acquiring an additional 219,836 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at approximately $14,611,000.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. The trade was a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:EAT opened at $157.93 on Wednesday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $156.18 and its 200 day moving average is $125.74. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.37 and a 12 month high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EAT. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.