Teza Capital Management LLC Sells 25,057 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Teza Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 75.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,228 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 25,057 shares during the quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC's holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 44.4% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,288 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,758,000 after buying an additional 4,083 shares in the last quarter. Quantedge Capital Pte Ltd bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $265,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $370,000. Man Group plc lifted its position 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. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $623,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 3.6%

EAT traded up $5.18 during trading on Thursday, hitting $149.05. The company had a trading volume of 1,162,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,489,609. The company has a market capitalization of $6.63 billion, a PE ratio of 25.83, a PEG 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 one year low of $56.27 and a one year high of $192.22. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $145.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on EAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup cut their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $141.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 owns 20,591 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,798,522.81. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,158,650.64. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.