Howard Financial Services LTD. Buys New Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Howard Financial Services LTD. bought a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,353 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EAT. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Brinker International by 46.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,844 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $310,000. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.6%

NYSE EAT opened at $172.89 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $147.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.51. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $56.27 and a one year high of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays dropped their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.14.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

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

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.