BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 94,629 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 214.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,676 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 94,629 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.31% of Brinker International worth $18,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth 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. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 136.8% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 49,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $6,486,000 after purchasing an additional 28,322 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $77,865,000 after buying an additional 566,894 shares during the period. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT traded down $2.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $148.86. The company had a trading volume of 438,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,488,921. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.27 and a 12 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 firm has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $144.82 and a 200-day moving average of $141.58.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Brinker International's revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EAT. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Northcoast Research upgraded 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. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.14.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total transaction of $319,388.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 20,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,158,650.64. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Brinker International 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.