Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $243.30.

A number of research firms recently commented on EAT. Bank of America upped their price objective on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Stephens raised their target price on Brinker International from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Brinker International from $204.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, Director James C. Katzman sold 650 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.09, for a total transaction of $143,058.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,522,938.46. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total value of $5,759,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 77,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,927,106.68. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 173,694 shares of company stock valued at $41,568,690 in the last ninety days. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. BlackRock Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 145,525 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 9,692 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 667.5% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,142,263 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $163,938,000 after purchasing an additional 993,435 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 96.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,137,863 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $163,306,000 after buying an additional 558,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $91,237,000.

Key Headlines Impacting Brinker International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a multi-year growth strategy targeting 4% to 6% annual revenue growth, double-digit annual adjusted EPS growth, 2% to 3% unit growth and approximately 30 new restaurants annually by fiscal 2029. Brinker International outlines growth strategy and long-term targets at Investor Day
• Positive Sentiment: Seaport Global initiated coverage with a Buy rating, adding a favorable Wall Street view after the company’s strong operating momentum and growth prospects. Seaport Global initiates coverage of Brinker International at Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: The long-term targets are constructive, but investors must weigh them against Brinker’s existing fiscal 2027 outlook of $6.15 billion to $6.27 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $12.60 to $13.40, alongside planned capital expenditures of $265 million to $285 million.
• Negative Sentiment: The investor-day presentation emphasized increased spending on restaurant remodels and new Chili’s locations. That investment may pressure near-term margins and cash flow before the new and renovated restaurants generate returns, leading investors to question whether the targets adequately compensate for execution risk. Brinker International shares slip after investor day targets highlight heavier growth spending
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider-trading data shows selling rather than buying by executives over the past six months. In addition, the median analyst price target cited by Quiver Quantitative was below the recent market level, potentially reinforcing valuation concerns. Brinker International stock sinks as market gains

Brinker International Trading Down 5.2%

NYSE:EAT opened at $199.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $100.30 and a 12 month high of $254.99. The company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.68.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current year.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is a Dallas-based restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises casual dining restaurants. Its portfolio includes Chili’s Grill & Bar, a full-service restaurant brand known for burgers, fajitas, ribs, steaks, Tex-Mex dishes and a broad beverage menu, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, which specializes in Italian-American cuisine and family-style dining.

Chili’s restaurants serve a wide range of lunch and dinner offerings in a casual, bar-and-grill setting, while Maggiano’s locations offer traditional Italian dishes, including pasta, chicken, seafood and desserts.