Guggenheim Capital LLC Takes $227,000 Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Guggenheim Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,716 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $77,865,000 after purchasing an additional 566,894 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,145.2% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $55,038,000 after purchasing an additional 382,633 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $21,549,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research raised shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 price objective for the company in a research note 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. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wedbush upped their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $141.14.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.4 %

Brinker International stock traded up $3.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $133.13. 1,682,365 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,485,842. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $5.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.79 and a 200 day moving average of $138.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.78 and a 12-month 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 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 34,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,435,950.80. This trade represents a 17.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.