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

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,380,000 shares, a growth of 26.2% from the March 31st total of 5,850,000 shares. Currently, 17.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.6 days.

Brinker International Stock Up 8.0 %

Brinker International stock traded up $3.96 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.62. The stock had a trading volume of 3,762,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,322,423. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 2.46. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $28.23 and a 12 month high of $54.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $47.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.82.

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

Insider Activity at Brinker International

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,694,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $211,472,000 after buying an additional 54,628 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Brinker International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,399,920 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $233,169,000 after acquiring an additional 30,861 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at about $57,246,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,503,198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $64,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 936,283 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $40,430,000 after purchasing an additional 4,294 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Brinker International from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.81.

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.