Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Purchases 2,235 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,863 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.06% of Brinker International worth $3,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted 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. bought a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $82,408,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $77,865,000 after purchasing an additional 566,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $61,929,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Brinker International Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of EAT stock traded up $2.16 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $151.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 221,231 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,556,859. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $56.27 and a one year high of $192.21. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $145.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.16. The company has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 20,591 shares in the company, 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 available at this link. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,158,650.64. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.