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 decreased its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 10.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund 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 SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 227.3% during the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 252 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 1,714.3% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the first quarter worth $54,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. 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 value of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:EAT traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $144.36. 1,299,588 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,128,842. The company has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.43. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $73.55 and a one year high of $192.21. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $157.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Bank of America upped their price target on Brinker International from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Brinker International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $172.59.

Brinker International 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.