ProShare Advisors LLC Boosts Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 44.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,288 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 4,083 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,526,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 4.4% during the fourth 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 period. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased 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 purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of Brinker International stock traded up $5.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $154.64. 1,457,710 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,493,404. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same period last 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. Research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares in the company, valued at $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen research 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $141.14.

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.