GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 116,397 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 37,668.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 116,706 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 116,397 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.26% of Brinker International worth $17,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings 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 worth $130,615,000 after buying an additional 958,101 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $82,408,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $61,929,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4,710.3% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $37,150,000 after acquiring an additional 274,986 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 293.6% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 239,306 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $31,658,000 after purchasing an additional 178,503 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Price Performance

NYSE:EAT traded up $2.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $171.67. The company had a trading volume of 951,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,496,711. The company has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 29.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.71. 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 52-week low of $56.27 and a 52-week high of $192.22. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $149.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.35.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective 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 issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total value of $105,073.71. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 20,591 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Brinker International 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.