Systematic Financial Management LP Reduces Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Systematic Financial Management LP lowered its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 95.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 17,986 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $410,000. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $280,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 287,456 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,028,000 after buying an additional 14,634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $400,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.1%

Brinker International stock opened at $151.80 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $56.27 and a one year high of $192.22.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.91, for a total value of $319,388.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 20,591 shares in the company, valued at $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,158,650.64. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.