Oxford Financial Group LTD. LLC Acquires Shares of 1,886 Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Oxford Financial Group LTD. LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,886 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Brinker International by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,879,000 after acquiring an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $280,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 399.9% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after purchasing an additional 19,281 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on EAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. KeyCorp cut shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of EAT stock 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 cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $155.57 and its 200-day moving average is $123.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total value of $1,409,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the firm’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. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last quarter. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.