Range Financial Group LLC Purchases New Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,952 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,036,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3,277.5% in the fourth 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 period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,408,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,613 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $67,814,000 after purchasing an additional 47,378 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $64,785,000 after purchasing an additional 62,265 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,929,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT opened at $171.67 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $149.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.67. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $56.27 and a 52-week high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on EAT. Barclays lowered their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup lowered 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. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 20,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the director now owns 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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