Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Short Interest Update

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,850,000 shares, a decline of 6.4% from the March 15th total of 6,250,000 shares. Currently, 13.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.36.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total value of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,548,045.17. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. FMR LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,694,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $211,472,000 after buying an additional 54,628 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Brinker International by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,399,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $233,169,000 after buying an additional 30,861 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in Brinker International by 32.1% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,451,624 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $89,729,000 after buying an additional 595,818 shares during the period. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth $57,246,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,654,811 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $63,148,000 after purchasing an additional 46,935 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT traded up $0.26 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $45.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,069,808 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,284,659. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $46.83 and its 200 day moving average is $40.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.46. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $28.23 and a twelve month high of $51.72.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.08 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 113.41%. Equities analysts predict that Brinker International will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.