Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average After Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $187.00 to $190.00. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $142.11 and traded as high as $150.68. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Brinker International shares last traded at $146.9190, with a volume of 962,475 shares.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Brinker International from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Brinker International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $192.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $184.00 price target on the stock. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.61.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Aaron M. White sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,155,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,054,740. The trade was a 14.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,400 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $1,335,600.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,004 shares in the company, valued at $3,339,636. This represents a 28.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 97,678 shares of company stock worth $15,700,372. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Brinker International by 155.9% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 33,416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,803,000 after purchasing an additional 20,356 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 564,633 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $81,036,000 after buying an additional 5,064 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 12,880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,849,000 after buying an additional 4,372 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 111.8% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 6,258 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $892,000 after buying an additional 3,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 422.2% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 58,637 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,416,000 after buying an additional 47,409 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $152.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.10.

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

About Brinker International

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.