Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 14,634 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 287,456 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,634 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $38,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 123.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $83,000. Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, Advisory Resource Group acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $144.74 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $150.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.83. The company has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 2.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on EAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley raised Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Brinker International from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 26,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,470,259.20. The trade was a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 over the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by 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.