Howland Capital Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Howland Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,196 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,967,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,714.3% in the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on EAT. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays boosted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Brinker International from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 99,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,916,236.92. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 2,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 20,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,798,522.81. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,127 shares of company stock valued at $2,128,062. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Stock Down 5.1%

NYSE EAT opened at $157.51 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $170.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.73, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.70. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.27 and a 52 week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 333.03%. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 27.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Brinker International Company 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.