Kiker Wealth Management LLC Invests $1.61 Million in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• Kiker Wealth Management LLC has invested approximately $1.61 million in Brinker International, purchasing 8,910 shares and making it the firm's 21st largest holding.
• Brinker International's stock experienced notable coverage from analysts, with Evercore ISI upgrading the company’s rating to "outperform" and raising the price target from $190 to $210.
• Insider trading activity included CEO Kevin Hochman selling 44,000 shares valued at approximately $6.94 million, leading to a significant decrease in his ownership.

Kiker Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,910 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,607,000. Brinker International makes up 0.9% of Kiker Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EAT. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 575.0% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 153.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 783 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,267 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $934,000 after buying an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in Brinker International by 46.8% in the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 19,942 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,972,000 after buying an additional 6,359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 8,187.9% in the 1st quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,735 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 2,702 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 raised their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Barclays raised their price objective on Brinker International from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $169.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $33,594,669.94. This trade represents a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 68,325 shares of company stock worth $10,754,785. Corporate insiders own 1.43% of the company's stock.

Brinker International Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $128.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $146.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $154.54. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.61 and a twelve month high of $192.21.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The firm's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal 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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