Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Cut to $200.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Key Points

• Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus have reduced the price target for Brinker International from $215.00 to $200.00, maintaining a "buy" rating.
• Brinker International's stock price closed at $126.14 after trading down $0.23, indicating a potential upside of 58.55% based on the new price target.
• In recent insider trading, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares, while CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the company, reflecting significant ownership decreases.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $215.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price objective would indicate a potential upside of 58.55% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on EAT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Brinker International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, September 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $190.00 to $192.00 in a report on Monday, October 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $166.78.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of Brinker International stock traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $126.14. 109,719 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,440,777. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $94.16 and a 52-week high of $192.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.38.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total value of $2,503,680.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. This trade represents a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $6,944,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $98,731,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $76,114,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 86.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,091,692 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $196,865,000 after buying an additional 506,087 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 102.0% in the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 995,713 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $148,411,000 after buying an additional 502,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mane Global Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $68,695,000.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.

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