Brinker International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:EAT)

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 5,566 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 105% compared to the average daily volume of 2,711 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT traded down $24.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $136.65. The stock had a trading volume of 5,065,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,481,725. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $148.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.40. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $48.37 and a 1-year high of $192.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.67, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $20,879,000 after acquiring an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $400,000.

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.

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