Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Takes Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,026 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $268,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $146,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Argus raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE:EAT opened at $134.87 on Monday. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.20.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced 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 net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. On average, analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal 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.