Bayforest Capital Ltd Has $893,000 Stock Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 694.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,991 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 5,237 shares during the quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in Brinker International were worth $893,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $130,615,000 after acquiring an additional 958,101 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,408,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,613 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $67,814,000 after buying an additional 47,378 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $64,785,000 after buying an additional 62,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth $61,929,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 20,591 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total value of $105,073.71. Following the sale, the director owned 8,568 shares in the company, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock worth $2,128,062. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on EAT. Bank of America upped their price objective on Brinker International from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price 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. Thirteen 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 company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $156.41.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.2%

EAT stock traded down $1.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $155.71. 1,455,976 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,497,705. The firm's 50-day moving average is $170.31 and its 200-day moving average is $157.78. The company has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.27 and a 12 month high of $192.21.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The firm 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 333.03% and a net margin of 6.50%. The company's revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.