Brinker International’s (EAT) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens restated their overweight rating on shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has a $300.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price target on Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $270.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, October 16th. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on shares of Brinker International in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $230.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.80.

Brinker International Stock Down 3.5%

EAT opened at $212.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.25. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $100.30 and a twelve month high of $254.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $209.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.58.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 125.65%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 13.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.15, for a total value of $9,726,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 144,090 shares in the company, valued at $35,035,483.50. This trade represents a 21.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total transaction of $5,759,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 77,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,927,106.68. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 213,694 shares of company stock worth $50,383,890. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth $91,237,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth $39,687,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 413,472 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $69,463,000 after purchasing an additional 160,939 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 2.2% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,729,477 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,130,552,000 after buying an additional 145,525 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at $17,493,000.

Brinker International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Brinker issued fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $13.30–$13.90, above the $13.26 analyst consensus. The company’s strong first-quarter results, including accelerating Chili’s traffic, also supported investor optimism. Brinker International advances on strong Q1 results and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts broadly raised their views following the results. Wells Fargo lifted its target to $285, Baird to $280, Citigroup to $277, TD Cowen to $270, Morgan Stanley to $262 and KeyCorp to $258; the firms maintained bullish ratings such as “buy,” “overweight” or “outperform.” Wells Fargo analyst recommendations
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Brinker as a strong growth stock, reinforcing the investment case based on its growth-oriented metrics. Why Brinker International is a strong growth stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $6.2 billion–$6.3 billion is broadly in line with expectations, although its midpoint is slightly below the $6.3 billion consensus estimate.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 EAT shares for approximately $8.8 million, reducing his ownership by 27.66%. While the transaction does not necessarily indicate a change in business fundamentals, the sizable insider sale can weigh on sentiment. SEC insider ownership filing

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is a casual-dining restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises restaurants in the United States and select international markets. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and serves customers through company-operated and franchised locations.

Brinker’s principal brands are Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy. Chili’s offers a broad menu of burgers, steaks, ribs, fajitas, Tex-Mex dishes, salads and beverages in a full-service, casual setting.