Sciencast Management LP Makes New $330,000 Investment in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 2,494 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $81,888,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 2,612.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 588,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $77,865,000 after purchasing an additional 566,894 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1,145.2% in 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. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 55.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 618,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,351,000 after purchasing an additional 219,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter worth $14,611,000.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $144.93 on Friday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $43.37 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.16. 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 (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. On average, analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.