Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 295,622 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 8,166 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.67% of Brinker International worth $44,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horrell Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Brinker International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,526,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC raised its stake in Brinker International by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,989 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,718,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT traded down $2.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $166.81. 1,622,315 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,478,670. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $56.27 and a fifty-two week high of $192.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.70. The business's 50 day moving average is $164.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.03. 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 (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS 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 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International 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 directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,127 shares of company stock worth $2,128,062 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays cut their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $148.41.

About Brinker International

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.