Wall Street Zen Upgrades Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) to “Buy”

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Brinker International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Brinker International from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $144.00 to $176.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.44.

Brinker International Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of EAT traded up $2.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $153.79. The stock had a trading volume of 744,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,513,098. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.60. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $100.30 and a 12 month high of $192.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.38.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.94% and a return on equity of 164.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. This trade represents a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 105.8% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000.

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.