Intech Investment Management LLC Purchases 78,917 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 327.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 103,019 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 78,917 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $13,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th 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 period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $146,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. This trade 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 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 sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE EAT opened at $141.60 on Tuesday. 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 has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $155.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.56. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.