Raymond James Financial Inc. Acquires New Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 49,187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $6,507,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.11% of Brinker International as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth 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 during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at about $126,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 132.4% in the fourth 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. The trade was a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents 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 valued at $3,752,464 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

Brinker International Price Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $144.93 on Monday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.37 and a 1 year high of $192.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $155.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.53. The company has a market cap of $6.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12, a PEG 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 (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. Sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.