Intech Investment Management LLC Has $13.63 Million Stock Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 327.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,019 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 78,917 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC owned 0.23% of Brinker International worth $13,628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 2,612.4% during the fourth 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. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $55,038,000 after purchasing an additional 382,633 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 55.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $47,351,000 after purchasing an additional 219,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $14,611,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $141.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.54, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $43.37 and a 1-year high of $192.22. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $155.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. Research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on EAT shares. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

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.