Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Bumped Up to “Buy” by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Brinker International from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised Brinker International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $249.80.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT stock opened at $212.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $209.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $174.58. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $100.30 and a 1 year high of $254.99.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, EVP Michaela M. Ware sold 3,030 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $707,444.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,494 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,499.12. This trade represents a 14.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total value of $5,759,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 77,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,927,106.68. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 213,694 shares of company stock valued at $50,383,890. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. One Way Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at about $280,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,112,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 14.4% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 7,089 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,372,000 after acquiring an additional 894 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in Brinker International by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,078 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 21,166 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,096,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Brinker International

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

Brinker International Company Profile

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.