Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 81,226 Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 81,226 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $10,745,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Brinker International as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 132.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on EAT shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Trading Up 3.7 %

NYSE:EAT opened at $139.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $43.37 and a one year high of $192.22. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $155.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.69.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.90, for a total transaction of $1,409,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 34,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,435,950.80. This represents a 17.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

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.