AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 6,173 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Brinker International by 10.1%, selling 6,173 shares, and now owns approximately 54,811 shares valued at $8.17 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their positions in Brinker International, with Amundi lifting its stake by 113.7% after purchasing an additional 58,222 shares.
• Brinker International reported $2.49 earnings per share, exceeding analyst expectations, and projected FY 2026 guidance of 9.90-10.50 EPS.

AQR Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 10.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,811 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 6,173 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Brinker International worth $8,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 113.7% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 109,419 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $15,176,000 after purchasing an additional 58,222 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 1st quarter worth about $76,114,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 93.6% in the 1st quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 45,011 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $6,709,000 after purchasing an additional 21,759 shares during the period. Armistice Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 93.4% in the 1st quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 97,734 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $14,567,000 after purchasing an additional 47,206 shares during the period. Finally, Night Squared LP purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 1st quarter worth about $6,989,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Brinker International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Brinker International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.59.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.8%

NYSE:EAT opened at $158.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.31. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.94 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.65.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. Brinker International'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. Analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were 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 directly owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at $4,538,085. The trade was a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,026,572.48. This represents a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 68,325 shares of company stock worth $10,754,785 over the last three months. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.