Graham Capital Management L.P. Raises Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• Graham Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Brinker International by 93.6% during the first quarter, holding approximately 45,011 shares valued at $6.71 million.
• Brinker International received multiple analysts’ upgrades, with Barclays raising the target price to $170 and Stifel Nicolaus lifting it to $215, reflecting a positive sentiment.
• CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of Brinker International, valued at over $6.9 million, which marked a 17.13% decrease in his holdings.

Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 93.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,011 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 21,759 shares during the quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. owned about 0.10% of Brinker International worth $6,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth about $206,000. Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth about $1,036,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth about $492,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. acquired a new stake in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth about $565,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,336,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.59.

Brinker International Trading Up 0.4%

EAT traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $159.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,662,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,478,641. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.45 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21. The stock has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.43. The business's 50-day moving average is $162.35 and its 200-day moving average is $156.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm'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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 212,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.