Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Sold by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC cut its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 33.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 331,900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 167,238 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.75% of Brinker International worth $43,907,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Brinker International by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,526,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Brinker International by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,989 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,718,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT opened at $148.92 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $145.22 and its 200-day moving average is $143.16. The stock has a market cap of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. 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 twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,158,650.64. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total transaction of $319,388.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,591 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,522.81. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 cut their price objective on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded 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. Thirteen 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 company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.14.

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.