Insider Selling: Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) CEO Sells $8,815,200.00 in Stock

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.38, for a total transaction of $8,815,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 104,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,052,409.14. This represents a 27.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Kevin Hochman also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 17th, Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of Brinker International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.15, for a total transaction of $9,726,000.00.
• On Thursday, August 13th, Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of Brinker International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.41, for a total value of $9,656,400.00.

Brinker International Trading Down 3.5%

EAT stock traded down $7.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $212.27. 1,213,678 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,208,360. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $209.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.36. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.30 and a 1-year high of $254.99.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.32. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 125.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 13.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 2.2% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,729,477 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,130,552,000 after purchasing an additional 145,525 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Brinker International by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,748,760 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $293,786,000 after buying an additional 59,120 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Brinker International by 0.8% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,170,612 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $167,128,000 after buying an additional 9,692 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $91,237,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Brinker International by 63.7% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 413,472 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $69,463,000 after acquiring an additional 160,939 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on EAT. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Brinker International from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $270.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.80.

Brinker International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Brinker International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brinker issued fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS guidance of $13.30–$13.90, above the $13.26 analyst consensus. The outlook supports expectations for continued earnings growth. Revenue guidance of $6.2 billion–$6.3 billion was also provided. Brinker International growth stock analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Recent first-quarter results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.77 versus the $2.45 consensus and revenue of $1.48 billion versus $1.46 billion. Revenue increased 9.4% year over year, while strong Chili’s traffic was highlighted as a key operating driver. Brinker advances on strong Q1 results and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their targets following the results. Wells Fargo lifted its target to $285, Robert W. Baird to $280, Citigroup to $277, TD Cowen to $270, Morgan Stanley to $262 and KeyCorp to $258. Stephens maintained an overweight rating with a $300 target. These targets imply substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. Analyst target changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks characterized Brinker as a strong growth stock, though the item primarily reflects a style-based investment assessment rather than a new company announcement. Zacks growth stock analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $6.2 billion–$6.3 billion places the midpoint below the $6.3 billion consensus estimate, potentially tempering enthusiasm despite the above-consensus EPS outlook. The recent rally may also have encouraged investors to lock in gains.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is a casual-dining restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises restaurants in the United States and select international markets. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and serves customers through company-operated and franchised locations.

Brinker’s principal brands are Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy. Chili’s offers a broad menu of burgers, steaks, ribs, fajitas, Tex-Mex dishes, salads and beverages in a full-service, casual setting.