Woodline Partners LP Purchases 20,302 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 110.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,737 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 20,302 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP owned approximately 0.09% of Brinker International worth $5,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $105,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $126,000.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE EAT traded up $2.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $167.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 483,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,488,892. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.27 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The company has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a PE ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $147.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.79.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently 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 research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Wedbush lifted their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.