Brinker International, Inc. $EAT Shares Acquired by Citigroup Inc.

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. has increased its stake in Brinker International by 12.6%, acquiring an additional 7,840 shares and bringing its total ownership to 70,080 shares valued at approximately $10.4 million.
• Insider transactions include sell-offs by directors Harriet Edelman and Joseph Michael Depinto, with Edelman selling 8,325 shares and Depinto selling 10,000 shares, reducing their stakes by 22.36% and 9.15%, respectively.
• Brokerages have issued mixed reviews on Brinker International, with Wall Street Zen downgrading it from "strong-buy" to "buy" while Wells Fargo, Piper Sandler, and Bank of America have adjusted their price targets upwards, reflecting a varied outlook among analysts.

Citigroup Inc. raised its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 70,080 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 7,840 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned about 0.16% of Brinker International worth $10,445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 62,196 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $8,228,000 after purchasing an additional 9,062 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,507,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,509 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 195.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 169,202 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $22,383,000 after purchasing an additional 111,841 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 64.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 8,482 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the 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 sale, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 99,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,916,236.92. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.2%

EAT traded down $1.7770 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $152.0530. 605,576 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,491,381. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.72 and a 12-month high of $192.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $167.33 and a 200 day moving average of $157.88. The firm has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on EAT. Piper Sandler boosted 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. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $171.41.

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.