James Investment Research Inc. Sells 7,342 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

James Investment Research Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 32.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,980 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 7,342 shares during the quarter. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Brinker International were worth $2,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EAT. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 28.0% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 25,581 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,813,000 after purchasing an additional 5,598 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,406,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Brinker International by 94.8% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,853 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 902 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 36.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock traded down $3.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $161.81. 559,237 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,455,446. The company has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.30. 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 52-week low of $56.27 and a 52-week high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 333.03% and a net margin of 6.50%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.