First Trust Advisors LP Has $10.98 Million Stock Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 83,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 20,798 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.19% of Brinker International worth $10,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% during 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 period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $146,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

NYSE EAT traded down $4.36 on Thursday, reaching $129.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,676,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,486,595. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.02 and a 52 week high of $192.22. 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 cap of $5.77 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $147.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.36.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares in the company, valued at $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on EAT shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush increased their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.14.

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.