Woodline Partners LP Increases Stock Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Key Points

• Woodline Partners LP has significantly increased its stake in Brinker International by 112.8% during the first quarter, owning a total of 82,415 shares valued at approximately $12.28 million.
• Brinker International reported an earnings per share of $2.49 for the last quarter, surpassing expectations by $0.02 and achieving a 21.0% revenue increase year-over-year, with total revenue reaching $1.46 billion.
• Several institutional investors, including Westfield Capital Management and Dimensional Fund Advisors, have also increased their holdings in Brinker International, indicating growing interest from multiple major investors.

Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 112.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 82,415 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 43,678 shares during the quarter. Woodline Partners LP owned 0.19% of Brinker International worth $12,284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 102.0% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 995,713 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $148,411,000 after purchasing an additional 502,897 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 5.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 967,550 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $144,201,000 after purchasing an additional 46,896 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 28.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 132,000 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 4.3% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 510,993 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $76,164,000 after purchasing an additional 21,270 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the first quarter valued at $76,114,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $158.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.43. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $68.94 and a 1-year high of $192.21. The company's fifty day moving average is $159.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.31.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The firm's revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. This represents a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $1,307,025.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on EAT shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.59.

Brinker International 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.