Highview Capital Management LLC DE Boosts Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 19.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,128 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 2,571 shares during the period. Brinker International comprises 1.0% of Highview Capital Management LLC DE's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Highview Capital Management LLC DE's holdings in Brinker International were worth $2,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. 44 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,464,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Brinker International by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 295,622 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $44,062,000 after purchasing an additional 8,166 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 72.9% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 55,885 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $8,330,000 after purchasing an additional 23,554 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 1st quarter valued at about $294,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 10.0% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,182 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $474,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the period.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded down $1.76 during trading on Friday, reaching $164.95. 1,426,028 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,474,235. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.46. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $56.27 and a 52-week high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.70.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The firm'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 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the director directly owned 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. Insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EAT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $148.41.

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.