James Investment Research Inc. Decreases Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

James Investment Research Inc. reduced its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 32.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,980 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 7,342 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Brinker International were worth $2,233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of EAT. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $6,507,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 93.9% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,164 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $948,000 after acquiring an additional 3,470 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 88,100 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $11,655,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $546,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 327.4% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 103,019 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $13,628,000 after acquiring an additional 78,917 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on EAT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Citigroup cut their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays raised their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $156.41.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT traded down $3.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $161.50. 1,528,159 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,457,555. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.27 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.70.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Brinker International had a return on equity of 333.03% and a net margin of 6.50%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total value of $1,703,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 99,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,916,236.92. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 8,568 shares in the company, valued at $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.