Optimize Financial Inc Sells 2,860 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• Optimize Financial Inc reduced its stake in Brinker International by 37.2%, selling 2,860 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with a total of 4,832 shares valued at approximately $720,000.
• Notable insider transactions include Director Harriet Edelman selling 8,325 shares and CEO Kevin Hochman selling 44,000 shares, both of which led to significant decreases in their ownership percentages.
• Analyst upgrades for Brinker International have increased, with price targets raised by several firms, including Evercore ISI, which lifted its price target from $190.00 to $210.00, reflecting positive sentiment on the company's future prospects.

Optimize Financial Inc trimmed its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 37.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,832 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 2,860 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc's holdings in Brinker International were worth $720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Brinker International by 4.2% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,933 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 575.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Brinker International by 227.3% during the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 252 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 5.7% during the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,615 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter worth about $30,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT traded down $5.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $153.92. 1,102,554 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,106. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.94 and a 12 month high of $192.21. The firm has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $159.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.65. 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 issued 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. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The business's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Research analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on EAT. Wall Street Zen cut Brinker International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Evercore ISI upgraded Brinker International from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $210.00 in a report on Thursday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $172.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

In other Brinker International 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 212,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,026,572.48. This represents a 55.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

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.