Advisors Preferred LLC Invests $940,000 in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $940,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $83,000. Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $242,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Stock Down 5.5 %

EAT stock opened at $172.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $144.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.15. The stock has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.99 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.33 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James cut shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Bank Of America (Bofa) raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.18.

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.