State of Wyoming Cuts Stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

State of Wyoming trimmed its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 72.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,524 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 4,079 shares during the quarter. State of Wyoming's holdings in Brinker International were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Brinker International by 3,277.5% in the 4th 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 position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth about $82,408,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $64,785,000 after purchasing an additional 62,265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth about $61,929,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT traded up $6.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $174.71. 555,419 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,490,040. The company's fifty day moving average price is $147.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. Brinker International's revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, 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. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays decreased 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 research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.