Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Stock Holdings Increased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 312.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,271 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 16,112 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Brinker International were worth $3,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the first quarter worth approximately $379,000. Banque Pictet & Cie SA purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth $547,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 14.2% in the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 14,159 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,110,000 after purchasing an additional 1,756 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the first quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 19.0% in the first quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 16,128 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 2,571 shares during the period.

Brinker International Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of EAT stock traded down $3.63 on Friday, hitting $161.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,528,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,457,555. The stock has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 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 $192.22. The business has a 50 day moving average of $168.49 and a 200 day moving average of $156.50.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. Brinker International's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,297 shares in the company, valued at $16,916,236.92. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 20,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062 in the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on EAT shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays boosted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $156.41.

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.