DGS Capital Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 1,831 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $242,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $304,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 1,145.2% during the fourth quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 416,044 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $55,038,000 after purchasing an additional 382,633 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,888,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 13,583 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,797,000 after buying an additional 5,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period.

Brinker International Price Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $149.63 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 2.52. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $39.11 and a one year high of $155.13.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 4.11% and a negative return on equity of 839.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on EAT shares. Raymond James lowered shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $120.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup upped their price target on Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total transaction of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,071 shares in the company, valued at $2,376,774.42. This represents a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

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.