619,000 Shares in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Purchased by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 619,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $81,888,000. Brinker International makes up 2.4% of Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth 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 period. Burford Brothers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Parametrica Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth $202,000.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,376,774.42. This trade represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Trading Up 0.0 %

Brinker International stock opened at $143.70 on Friday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.53 and a 52-week high of $147.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 2.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $130.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.11.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EAT. UBS Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $108.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $120.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Brinker International in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $108.29.

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.