Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Makes New $492,000 Investment in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,300 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $492,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Horrell Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,526,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 4.4% in 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. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Brinker International by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $596,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Brinker International by 1.4% in the fourth 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 during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $144.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 20,591 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,522.81. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock worth $2,128,062. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $182.40 on Friday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.27 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.16, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.70. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.38.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Profile

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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