Douglas Comings Sells 16,000 Shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock

Key Points

• Douglas Comings, COO of Brinker International, sold 16,000 shares of the company's stock for about $2.5 million, decreasing his ownership by 55.27% and leaving him with 12,951 shares valued at approximately $2 million.
• Brinker International reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.49, slightly above analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $1.46 billion, marking a 21.0% increase compared to the same quarter last year.
• Multiple analysts have recently updated their price targets for Brinker International, with Evercore ISI raising theirs from $190 to $210, reflecting positive sentiment around the stock.

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) COO Douglas Comings sold 16,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. The trade was a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT traded down $1.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $154.44. The company had a trading volume of 1,088,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,466,879. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $160.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.62. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.91 and a 1-year high of $192.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $6.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.43.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The company 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 company posted $1.61 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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. Analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Brinker International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $210.00 in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Brinker International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.59.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in Brinker International by 24.2% during the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,236,583 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $222,993,000 after purchasing an additional 240,870 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Brinker International by 86.4% during 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 purchasing an additional 506,087 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,071,523 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $193,619,000 after purchasing an additional 14,033 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 967,550 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $144,201,000 after acquiring an additional 46,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 107.1% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 639,362 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $115,296,000 after acquiring an additional 330,611 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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