FORA Capital LLC Grows Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• FORA Capital LLC significantly increased its stake in Brinker International by 330.2% during the first quarter, owning approximately $3.89 million worth of shares.
• Brinker International reported $2.49 earnings per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, and projected FY 2026 earnings between $9.90 and $10.50 per share.
• Several firms have raised their target prices for Brinker International, with Barclays setting a new target of $170.00, reflecting a positive outlook on the company's stock.

FORA Capital LLC boosted its stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 330.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,095 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 20,029 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC owned 0.06% of Brinker International worth $3,889,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 102.0% in the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 995,713 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $148,411,000 after purchasing an additional 502,897 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Brinker International by 5.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 967,550 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $144,201,000 after buying an additional 46,896 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Brinker International in the fourth quarter valued at $82,408,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Brinker International by 28.2% during the first quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 600,134 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $89,450,000 after acquiring an additional 132,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Brinker International by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,613 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $67,814,000 after acquiring an additional 47,378 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In related news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $6,944,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $1,307,025.00. Following the sale, the director owned 28,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,538,085. The trade was a 22.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 62,325 shares of company stock worth $9,954,705. Insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Stock Down 0.4%

Brinker International stock traded down $0.59 during trading on Thursday, hitting $155.55. 966,435 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,399,298. The company has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.68. The business's 50 day moving average is $164.09 and its 200 day moving average is $156.75. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.45 and a 52 week 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 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 previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on EAT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Brinker International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. 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 research report on Thursday, August 14th. Bank of America raised their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $171.41.

Brinker International Company 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.