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

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Brinker International from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. StockNews.com cut Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Brinker International from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CFO Joseph G. Taylor sold 24,163 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.97, for a total transaction of $1,086,610.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 56,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,548,045.17. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 64,800.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 3,611.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 946 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE:EAT traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $45.28. 1,069,808 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,284,659. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.67. Brinker International has a one year low of $28.23 and a one year high of $51.72. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 2.46.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.05. Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 113.41% and a net margin of 3.63%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.08 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Brinker International will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

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.