Blueshift Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,691 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 9,083 shares during the quarter. Brinker International accounts for 0.6% of Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $146,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Brinker International Trading Up 6.1 %

Shares of EAT stock opened at $141.63 on Thursday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $43.37 and a 1-year high of $192.22. The firm has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a 50-day moving average of $155.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush increased their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

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.