Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 6.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,284,808 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 170,364 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 5.14% of Brinker International worth $174,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,330,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 399.9% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,102 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,845,000 after acquiring an additional 19,281 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at $941,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,879,000 after purchasing an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,686.8% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 192,972 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $13,969,000 after purchasing an additional 182,172 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE EAT opened at $127.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 2.51. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $37.25 and a 52 week high of $133.82.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $67.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $83.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $91.38.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of Brinker International 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. The trade was a 13.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.