Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) COO Douglas N. Comings Sells 2,350 Shares

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE EAT traded down $1.86 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $149.11. 509,878 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,489,226. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.87, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.58. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released 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 analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.24 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on EAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.14.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Brinker International by 3,277.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 987,334 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $130,615,000 after buying an additional 958,101 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,408,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in 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 valued at $77,865,000 after purchasing an additional 566,894 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its stake in Brinker International by 102.0% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 995,713 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $148,411,000 after purchasing an additional 502,897 shares in the last quarter.

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.