Natixis Purchases Shares of 4,600 Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Natixis bought a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,600 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $609,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth about $146,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on EAT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp lowered Brinker International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Brinker International from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $142.53.

Brinker International Stock Down 13.9 %

Shares of NYSE EAT traded down $22.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $138.28. 4,264,506 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,478,762. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $148.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.40. 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 $48.37 and a one year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.43 by $0.23. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their position. 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 over the last quarter. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.