The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 787 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,021 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 787 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.05% of Brinker International worth $3,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $83,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on Brinker International from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Wedbush raised their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.14.

Brinker International Trading Up 0.3 %

EAT opened at $137.09 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. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.27 and a twelve month high of $192.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.45.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total value of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,158,650.64. The trade was a 8.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is 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.