Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 8,166 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 295,622 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 8,166 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.67% of Brinker International worth $44,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EAT. Horrell Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 0.3% in the fourth 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 boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $596,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its position 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 worth $1,718,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $148.41.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT traded down $1.35 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $169.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,301,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,478,095. The company has a 50-day moving average of $164.17 and a 200-day moving average of $155.03. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.27 and a 12 month high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.28 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $7.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.70.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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.