Morgan Stanley Increases Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $205.00

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price upped by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $205.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 30.07% from the company’s previous close.

EAT has been the subject of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $187.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho increased their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $192.00 in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Brinker International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $188.56.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT opened at $157.61 on Thursday. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $192.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.19. The company has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.34.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 134.92% and a net margin of 7.98%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.045-10.850 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 17,650 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,533,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 6,215 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $892,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the period. Elevated Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $328,000. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 103.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,975,655 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $427,066,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511,266 shares during the period. Finally, Brindle & Bay Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $437,000.

Brinker International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Brinker International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat and upbeat commentary drove initial buying — Brinker reported an EPS beat and revenue ahead of estimates, and management highlighted a Chili’s turnaround that lifted sales and margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Chili’s operational improvement is the main growth engine cited on the call and in coverage — investors are focused on comp trends, menu mix, and margin leverage at Chili’s as the reason for the beat. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and ratings across the board after results — large banks (Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Citi, UBS, JPMorgan, Jefferies, Barclays, Piper Sandler, etc.) lifted price targets and several upgraded to buy/overweight, signaling increased analyst conviction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/sector context: analysis comparing Brinker’s year‑to‑date performance vs. retail/wholesale peers provides context but doesn’t change company fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation are available for detail — useful for verifying management’s commentary on comps, unit economics, and forward guidance. Article Title Presentation

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc (NYSE: EAT) is a leading global operator of casual dining restaurants. The company’s portfolio is anchored by its flagship Chili’s® Grill & Bar concept and Maggiano’s® Little Italy full‐service restaurants, offering a range of American‐style menu items, handcrafted cocktails and family‐friendly dining experiences. Through dine‐in, takeout, delivery and catering services, Brinker seeks to meet consumer preferences across multiple channels.

The Chili’s brand features signature items such as baby back ribs, burgers and fajitas alongside a rotating selection of limited‐time offerings and seasonal beverages.