Piper Sandler Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock

Key Points

• Piper Sandler has raised its price target for Brinker International stock from $155.00 to $168.00, predicting a potential upside of 5.64% from its current price.
• Wells Fargo, UBS Group, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and BMO Capital Markets have also increased their price targets for Brinker, with an average target of $170.47 across multiple analyst ratings.
• Brinker International reported earnings of $2.49 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and reflecting a 21% revenue increase compared to the same quarter last year.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) had its target price lifted by Piper Sandler from $155.00 to $168.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $144.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $171.41.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT traded down $2.3920 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $153.4780. The stock had a trading volume of 1,212,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,419,901. The company has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.68. The business has a fifty day moving average of $167.33 and a 200 day moving average of $157.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.31. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $65.82 and a 1 year high of $192.21.

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

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 99,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,916,236.92. The trade was a 9.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total value of $1,307,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,538,085. This represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in Brinker International by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 62,196 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $8,228,000 after buying an additional 9,062 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the fourth quarter worth $6,507,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $596,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 195.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 169,202 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $22,383,000 after acquiring an additional 111,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 64.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,482 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares during the last quarter.

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.