Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Takes Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 29,562 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $4,406,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.07% of Brinker International at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Brinker International by 3,277.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 958,101 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,408,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,613 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $67,814,000 after buying an additional 47,378 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $64,785,000 after buying an additional 62,265 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,929,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $161.50 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $168.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.70. 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 12 month low of $56.27 and a 12 month 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a return on equity of 333.03% and a net margin of 6.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays upped their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $156.41.

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.

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