Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded at Northcoast Research

Key Points

• Northcoast Research upgraded Brinker International from “neutral” to “buy” and set a $275 price target, implying approximately 37% upside from the reported $200.69 share price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $243.38; 17 analysts rate the stock a Buy and one rates it a Strong Buy.
• Brinker’s latest quarterly revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $1.54 billion, though earnings of $3.07 per share narrowly missed estimates. Company insiders sold 173,694 shares worth about $41.6 million during the last quarter.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Northcoast Research from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a $275.00 target price on the restaurant operator's stock. Northcoast Research's target price would suggest a potential upside of 37.03% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on EAT. Bank of America upped their price target on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Freedom Broker upgraded Brinker International to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Brinker International in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $243.38.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $200.69 on Tuesday. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $100.30 and a 12-month high of $254.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.25. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $217.40 and a 200 day moving average of $173.49.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%.The company's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, SVP James Butler sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.37, for a total value of $2,403,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 9,064 shares in the company, valued at $2,178,713.68. This represents a 52.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Aaron White sold 16,220 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total transaction of $3,831,488.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,099,822.32. This trade represents a 27.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690 in the last quarter. 1.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth about $35,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International by 33,000.0% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Brinker International by 49.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 336 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 881.2% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 471 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter.

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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