Brinker International's (EAT) Overweight Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Key Points

• Stephens reiterated its “overweight” rating on Brinker International and maintained a $300 price target, implying roughly 50% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 16 Buy ratings and seven Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $243.30.
• Brinker shares opened down 5.2% at $199.72, while the company reported quarterly revenue of $1.54 billion—up 5.1% year over year—but narrowly missed earnings estimates, posting $3.07 EPS versus $3.09 expected.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $300.00 target price on the restaurant operator's stock. Stephens' target price would suggest a potential upside of 50.21% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on EAT. Weiss Ratings upgraded Brinker International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Brinker International from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Brinker International in a research note on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $230.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $243.30.

Brinker International Trading Down 5.2%

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $199.72 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $216.93 and a 200-day moving average of $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 firm has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25. Brinker International has a twelve month low of $100.30 and a twelve month high of $254.99.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. Brinker International's revenue 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, analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 13.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, EVP Michaela Ware sold 3,030 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,494 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,084,499.12. This represents a 14.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James Katzman sold 650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.09, for a total transaction of $143,058.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,522,938.46. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 173,694 shares of company stock valued at $41,568,690. Corporate insiders own 1.43% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 33,000.0% in the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 49.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 336 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Brinker International by 881.2% in 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.