Raymond James & Associates Acquires 13,582 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 52.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,274 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,582 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned about 0.09% of Brinker International worth $1,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 68.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $44.06 on Thursday. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.23 and a twelve month high of $51.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $46.84 and its 200-day moving average is $40.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.05. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 113.41% and a net margin of 3.63%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.08 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 56,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Brinker International from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their target price on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.36.

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.