Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Gets Price Target Boost from KeyCorp

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target hoisted by equities researchers at KeyCorp from $250.00 to $258.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. KeyCorp‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 17.12% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on EAT. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Brinker International from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Brinker International in a report on Thursday. Freedom Broker raised Brinker International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $270.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, October 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.60.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $220.29 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $9.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $210.12 and its 200 day moving average is $174.06. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $100.30 and a twelve month high of $254.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Brinker International will post 13.20 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP James M. Butler sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.37, for a total transaction of $2,403,700.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,178,713.68. This represents a 52.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director James C. Katzman sold 650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.09, for a total value of $143,058.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,094 shares in the company, valued at $5,522,938.46. The trade was a 2.52% 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. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 2.2% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,729,477 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,130,552,000 after acquiring an additional 145,525 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 59,120 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake 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. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $91,237,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Brinker International by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 413,472 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $69,463,000 after purchasing an additional 160,939 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly performance: Brinker reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings of $2.77 per share, exceeding consensus estimates of $2.45–$2.49 and rising from $2.17 a year earlier. Revenue increased 9.4% year over year to $1.48 billion, also topping expectations. Brinker International fiscal first-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Chili’s continued to drive growth: The chain posted its 22nd consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, with comparable sales up 10% despite lapping a 21% increase last year. Management cited a three-year cumulative comparable-sales gain of 52%, supporting the view that Chili’s momentum remains durable. Brinker rallies after Chili’s results
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 outlook raised: Brinker now expects adjusted fiscal 2027 earnings of $13.30 to $13.90 per share, slightly above the FactSet estimate of $13.28. The improved forecast reinforces expectations for continued earnings growth. Brinker fiscal 2027 earnings outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased: Robert W. Baird raised its price target from $270 to $280 and maintained an “outperform” rating, while TD Cowen lifted its target from $250 to $270 and assigned a “buy” rating. The targets imply substantial upside from the reported $220.29 reference price. Robert W. Baird Brinker rating

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.