Smith Group Asset Management LLC Has $931,000 Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Smith Group Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 29.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,246 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 2,576 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC's holdings in Brinker International were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3,277.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 958,101 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $82,408,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $61,929,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Brinker International by 4,710.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 280,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $37,150,000 after purchasing an additional 274,986 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its stake in Brinker International by 293.6% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 239,306 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $31,658,000 after purchasing an additional 178,503 shares during the period.

Brinker International Price Performance

NYSE EAT traded up $0.67 on Friday, reaching $182.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 456,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,483,355. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firm's 50 day moving average is $162.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.19. The stock has a market cap of $8.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.16, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.70.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. 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. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays cut their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $144.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owned 99,297 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.