Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Takes $1.17 Million Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 27,146 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,172,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC owned approximately 0.06% of Brinker International as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,694,269 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $211,472,000 after buying an additional 54,628 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth about $57,246,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 332,176 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $10,493,000 after buying an additional 56,192 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 411.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,719 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $5,394,000 after buying an additional 137,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 137,565 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $4,346,000 after buying an additional 991 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of EAT traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $48.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,035,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,658. The company's 50-day moving average is $47.17 and its 200-day moving average is $41.54. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.23 and a 52-week high of $51.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.33, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.05. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total value of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 56,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Brinker International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $44.81.

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.