5,612 Shares in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,612 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $429,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1,265.2% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $136,000 after buying an additional 1,746 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Brinker International by 1,111.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,266 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 2,079 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $166,000. Finally, Xponance Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth $202,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.2 %

NYSE EAT opened at $134.26 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $115.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $86.23. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $37.25 and a one year high of $136.15. The company has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on Brinker International from $76.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group raised their price target on Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.