Aurora Investment Counsel Invests $1.26 Million in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• Aurora Investment Counsel invested approximately $1.26 million in Brinker International by acquiring 6,967 shares in the second quarter.
• A range of institutional investors also increased their holdings, with significant acquisitions noted from Stratos Wealth Partners, which raised its stake by 50.7%.
• Brinker International reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.49, surpassing analysts' expectations, while analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $169.06.

Aurora Investment Counsel purchased a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,967 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,256,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. LMG Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 9.2% in the second quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,888 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $701,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth $230,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth $2,591,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in Brinker International by 50.7% in the second quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 21,334 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,847,000 after purchasing an additional 7,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SilverOak Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International in the second quarter valued at $206,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on EAT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Brinker International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Evercore ISI upgraded 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 212,867 shares in the company, valued at $33,594,669.94. This represents a 17.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 28,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,538,085. This represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 68,325 shares of company stock worth $10,754,785 in the last 90 days. 1.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT stock opened at $130.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $143.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.97. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.70 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. The company has a market cap of $5.78 billion, a PE ratio of 15.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.38.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS 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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