Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from Wells Fargo & Company

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $280.00 to $270.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on EAT. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Brinker International from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $325.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Brinker International from $166.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.45.

Brinker International Trading Down 4.0%

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $182.46 on Wednesday. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $100.30 and a fifty-two week high of $254.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $212.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $182.60.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%. Brinker International’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 13.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total transaction of $5,759,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michaela Ware sold 3,030 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.48, for a total transaction of $707,444.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 17,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,499.12. This trade represents a 14.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 173,694 shares of company stock valued at $41,568,690. 1.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 14.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. One Wealth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $464,000. Gibbs Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management now owns 7,802 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,510,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 837.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282 shares during the period.

About Brinker International

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.