Stephens Reaffirms “Overweight” Rating for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating restated by analysts at Stephens in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $300.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 50.21% from the stock’s previous close.

EAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Friday. UBS Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Mizuho raised their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $220.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Brinker International from $166.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.30.

Brinker International Stock Down 5.2%

Brinker International stock opened at $199.72 on Friday. 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 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $216.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.68.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of Brinker International 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 $17,927,106.68. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Aaron M. White sold 16,220 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total transaction of $3,831,488.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,099,822.32. The trade was a 27.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690 in the last three months. 1.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Brinker International by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,620,000 after acquiring an additional 2,489 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 24.1% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,897 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,495,000 after acquiring an additional 1,726 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 318.2% during the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 28,047 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,712,000 after acquiring an additional 21,340 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter valued at about $145,000. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth about $687,000.

Brinker International Company Profile

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.