Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 148.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,255 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,895 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,004,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 100.0% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Brinker International from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Brinker International Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $45.24 on Monday. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.23 and a twelve month high of $51.72. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.27, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.08 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Brinker International Company 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.