The Goldman Sachs Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs downgraded its price target for Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00, maintaining a "buy" rating but indicating a significant decrease in expected stock performance.
• Despite the downgrade, the stock's target suggests a potential upside of 42.95% from its current price of $125.92 as reported during mid-day trading.
• Other analysts have raised their price targets, with five firms upgrading Brinker International, reflecting a mixed sentiment as the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold."

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by The Goldman Sachs Group from $207.00 to $180.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target would suggest a potential upside of 42.95% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on EAT. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Brinker International from $149.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Brinker International from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Brinker International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Brinker International from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Brinker International from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $171.53.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT traded down $7.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $125.92. The stock had a trading volume of 938,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,287. The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.43. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $152.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $156.05. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $75.19 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 business's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,026,572.48. The trade was a 55.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,538,085. This represents a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 105.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 575.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000.

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.

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