Horrell Capital Management Inc. Buys 76 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 76 shares during the quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. owned 0.06% of Brinker International worth $3,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $705,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 399.9% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,845,000 after buying an additional 19,281 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 74.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,324 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,310,000 after buying an additional 24,028 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,600 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 1,317 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 252.4% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 15,693 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,201,000 after buying an additional 11,240 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:EAT opened at $144.93 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. 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 price is $155.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.53. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.37 and a 52-week high of $192.22.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped 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. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.