Empowered Funds LLC Takes $5.33 Million Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 69,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $5,330,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1.1% during the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 12,015 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 96.2% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Brinker International by 1.9% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,382 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 33.2% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 986 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $117.45 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 2.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.54, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $89.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.99. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.77 and a 52-week high of $123.66.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 839.19% and a net margin of 4.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michaela M. Ware sold 3,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.02, for a total value of $386,634.06. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Brinker International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $70.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Argus cut shares of Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James lowered shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $86.45.

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.