Captrust Financial Advisors Takes $255,000 Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,926 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $255,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $83,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $105,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $126,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

NYSE:EAT traded up $5.64 on Friday, hitting $154.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,457,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,493,404. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $146.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.27 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.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on EAT. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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 report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.