Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Buys 1,601 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 3.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,632 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. owned 0.11% of Brinker International worth $7,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Brinker International by 575.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter worth $1,036,000. MRA Advisory Group acquired a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter worth $560,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Brinker International by 0.6% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 121,505 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $18,110,000 after acquiring an additional 691 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 99,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,916,236.92. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on EAT. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE EAT traded down $1.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $174.81. 864,816 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,486,340. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.34.

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

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.