Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) COO Douglas N. Comings Sells 7,500 Shares

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. The trade was 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 this link.

Brinker International Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of EAT stock traded down $3.55 on Tuesday, hitting $164.32. 1,778,894 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,363,801. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. The business has a 50-day moving average of $145.32 and a 200 day moving average of $107.47. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 998,278 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $76,413,000 after buying an additional 8,105 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 4.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 691,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $52,900,000 after buying an additional 28,373 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,888,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position 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 valued at $47,351,000 after buying an additional 219,836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position 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 valued at $77,865,000 after buying an additional 566,894 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Bank Of America (Bofa) boosted their target price on Brinker International from $94.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Argus upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. 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, Brinker International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

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.