FORA Capital LLC Invests $802,000 in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 6,066 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $802,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 123.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $83,000.

Brinker International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $137.09 on Friday. 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 $56.27 and a 52 week high of $192.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $144.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a PE ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.66.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.18. Brinker International had a net margin of 5.45% and a return on equity of 879.47%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This trade represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ramona Hood sold 777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.23, for a total transaction of $105,073.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,568 shares in the company, valued at $1,158,650.64. This trade represents a 8.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Brinker International from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their target price on Brinker International from $165.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.14.

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.