Aberdeen Group plc Lowers Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in Brinker International by 20.1%, selling 34,180 shares, which now brings their total ownership to 135,756 shares valued at approximately $24.5 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings in Brinker International during the first quarter, with Farther Finance Advisors boosting their stake by 575%.
• Bank of America upgraded Brinker International’s rating from "neutral" to "buy," raising the target price from $190.00 to $192.00, indicating increased confidence in the company's performance.

Aberdeen Group plc cut its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 135,756 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 34,180 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.31% of Brinker International worth $24,481,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EAT. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 153.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 783 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 12.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,267 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $934,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 46.8% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 19,942 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,972,000 after purchasing an additional 6,359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 8,187.9% during the first quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,735 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 2,702 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upgraded 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. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $169.83.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In related news, 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 transaction of $6,944,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 212,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $1,307,025.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,325 shares of company stock worth $10,754,785 in the last 90 days. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Brinker International Trading Up 3.0%

NYSE:EAT opened at $128.61 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.54. The company has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.38. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $83.61 and a 12 month 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.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The company's revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

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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