Harvest Investment Services LLC Buys New Shares in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Harvest Investment Services LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,623 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $347,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Brinker International by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 489,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $64,785,000 after acquiring an additional 62,265 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,145.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Brinker International by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 287,456 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $38,028,000 after buying an additional 14,634 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Brinker International stock traded up $0.37 during trading on Monday, reaching $160.02. The stock had a trading volume of 866,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,587. 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 has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $148.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.86. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.37 and a 52 week high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price target on Brinker International from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wedbush increased their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, KeyCorp cut Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Thirteen research 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, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Company 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.