Citigroup Lowers Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target to $156.00

Key Points

• Citigroup has reduced its price target for Brinker International from $168.00 to $156.00, maintaining a "neutral" rating for the restaurant operator's stock.
• Despite the downgrade, the average price target among analysts for Brinker International is $169.06, with nine analysts rating the stock as a "Buy."
• Brinker International reported earnings of $2.49 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, and its revenue increased by 21% year-over-year to $1.46 billion.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by Citigroup from $168.00 to $156.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Citigroup's price target points to a potential upside of 18.09% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Brinker International from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Brinker International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $192.00 in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $169.06.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT traded up $3.61 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $132.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 341,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,455,035. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $88.63 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21. 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 $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.54.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.02. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 28,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $6,944,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. This trade 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 valued at $10,754,785 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Brinker International by 105.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 575.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 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.

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