Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday after Citigroup upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $140.29, but opened at $146.01. Citigroup now has a $176.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $144.00. Brinker International shares last traded at $151.3440, with a volume of 384,715 shares trading hands.

EAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Brinker International from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group cut their price target on Brinker International from $165.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. This represents a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 342.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the third quarter worth approximately $598,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,446,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 7,911 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50-day moving average is $124.63 and its 200 day moving average is $149.42.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 164.66% and a net margin of 7.94%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.