Brinker International's (EAT) "Buy (B)" Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Brinker International's stock received a "buy (B)" rating from Weiss Ratings, indicating positive analyst sentiment towards the company.
• Multiple analysts have raised their price targets for Brinker International, with JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo both upgrading their ratings to "overweight" and setting price targets of $175.00.
• Brinker International reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.49, beating expectations, and its revenue was up 21.0% year-over-year, highlighting strong performance amid economic pressures.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b)" rating reiterated by analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report released on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

EAT has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Brinker International from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised Brinker International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $192.00 in a research note on Monday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.35.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock traded down $3.18 on Wednesday, hitting $123.95. 306,886 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,457,506. Brinker International has a one year low of $82.24 and a one year high of $192.21. The firm's 50 day moving average is $149.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.38.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the company's 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 in the company, valued at $4,538,085. This represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 212,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,594,669.94. This represents a 17.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 68,325 shares of company stock worth $10,754,785 over the last quarter. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 42.9% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,257 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,200,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $698,000. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its position in Brinker International by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 7,219 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP raised its position in Brinker International by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 21,955 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,959,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Company Profile

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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