Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Mizuho increased their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised 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 note on Thursday, August 13th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Brinker International from $166.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.80.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT opened at $212.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $100.30 and a 12-month high of $254.99. The company’s 50 day moving average is $209.45 and its 200 day moving average is $174.58. The company has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.36.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.32. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 125.65%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 13.67 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 77,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,927,106.68. This represents a 24.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.38, for a total transaction of $8,815,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 104,603 shares in the company, valued at $23,052,409.14. The trade was a 27.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 213,694 shares of company stock worth $50,383,890. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 2.2% in 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 3.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,748,760 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $293,786,000 after acquiring an additional 59,120 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Brinker International by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,170,612 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $167,128,000 after acquiring an additional 9,692 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $91,237,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Brinker International by 63.7% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 413,472 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $69,463,000 after buying an additional 160,939 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International News Roundup

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.