Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Earns Buy Rating from TD Cowen

Key Points

• TD Cowen reaffirmed its “buy” rating on Brinker International and set a $270 price target, implying approximately 35% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable overall, with 16 buy ratings and seven holds; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $243.30.
• Brinker reported quarterly revenue of $1.54 billion, up 5.1% year over year, although earnings per share of $3.07 slightly missed estimates. Insiders have sold approximately $41.6 million of shares over the past 90 days.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at TD Cowen in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $270.00 price target on the restaurant operator's stock. TD Cowen's target price would indicate a potential upside of 35.19% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on EAT. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Brinker International from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on Brinker International from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $243.30.

Brinker International Trading Down 5.2%

Brinker International stock opened at $199.72 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $216.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $100.30 and a 12 month high of $254.99.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Brinker International will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, EVP Michaela M. Ware sold 3,030 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was 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 owned 17,494 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,499.12. The trade was a 14.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of the company's 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 directly owned 77,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,927,106.68. This represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Brinker International by 2.2% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,729,477 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,130,552,000 after purchasing an additional 145,525 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,170,612 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $167,128,000 after purchasing an additional 9,692 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 667.5% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,142,263 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $163,938,000 after purchasing an additional 993,435 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Brinker International by 96.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,137,863 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $163,306,000 after buying an additional 558,799 shares during the period. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth about $91,237,000.

About Brinker International

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.

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