PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Buys 3,470 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 93.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,164 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,470 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at $126,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 132.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464 over the last ninety days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE EAT opened at $141.60 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.37 and a 52-week high of $192.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

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.