Trexquant Investment LP Has $13.27 Million Stock Position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Trexquant Investment LP cut its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 54.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,292 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 117,558 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.23% of Brinker International worth $13,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $83,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth $126,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $146,000.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $150.91 on Wednesday. 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 12-month low of $43.37 and a 12-month high of $192.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $156.72 and a 200-day moving average of $128.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.56.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on EAT shares. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $140.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Brinker International from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total value of $1,253,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This trade represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock worth $3,752,464. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

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.