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

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 37,668.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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 quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake 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 stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $82,408,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,929,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 4,710.3% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $37,150,000 after purchasing an additional 274,986 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 293.6% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 239,306 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,658,000 after purchasing an additional 178,503 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reduced 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. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the 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 now directly owns 20,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total value of $105,073.71. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares in the company, valued at $1,158,650.64. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT traded up $2.00 during trading on Monday, hitting $173.65. 1,387,340 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,494,162. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $149.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The company has a market cap of $7.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.10, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.71.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. 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 firm earned $1.24 EPS. Brinker International's revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.