First Trust Advisors LP Has $9.38 Million Stake in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 177.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 65,699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 41,990 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $9,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 570.4% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 181 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 58.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 225 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 299 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 116.0% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 337 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stephens started coverage on Brinker International in a report on Friday, July 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $220.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Brinker International from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Brinker International from $177.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Brinker International from $170.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.25.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $213.76 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.35. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $100.30 and a one year high of $214.23. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $169.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.10.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.85 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.47 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 123.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 10.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Brinker International Profile

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.