Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 6,428 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,428 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,244,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. M&G PLC bought a new position in Brinker International during the third quarter worth about $12,437,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,399,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 15,776.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 12,701 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,529,000 after acquiring an additional 12,621 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 197,099 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $38,302,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.5%

EAT stock traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $198.61. 916,214 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,446,474. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.34. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.89 and a 1-year high of $254.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $203.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.76. The firm has a market cap of $8.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.37.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.32. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 125.65%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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 13.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on EAT. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 31st. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Brinker International in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Brinker International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.80.

Brinker International News Roundup

These are some of the EAT news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several earnings estimates, including FY2027 EPS to $13.45 from $13.06, FY2028 to $14.43 from $13.97, and FY2029 to $15.46 from $15.22. It also lifted estimates for Q2 2028 and Q3 2028. The improved longer-term outlook could support investor sentiment. MarketBeat Brinker International coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research kept its rating at “Hold,” indicating the estimate increases have not changed its overall stance on the shares. A Zacks article noted elevated investor attention but did not provide a specific new catalyst or recommendation in the available summary. Zacks article on Brinker International
• Negative Sentiment: One small estimate cut partially offsets the positive revisions: Q2 2027 EPS was lowered to $3.22 from $3.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Daniel Fuller sold 1,909 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.54, for a total value of $484,007.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 30,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,651,076.58. The trade was a 5.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 104,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,052,409.14. The trade was a 27.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 132,386 shares of company stock worth $30,915,368 in the last ninety days. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc. is a casual-dining restaurant company based in Dallas, Texas. It owns, operates and franchises restaurants under the Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy brands. Chili’s serves a broad menu of American and Tex-Mex-inspired dishes, including burgers, ribs and fajitas. Maggiano’s specializes in Italian-American cuisine, with dishes such as pasta and other classic entrées. The company traces its roots to 1975, when founder Norman Brinker opened the first Chili’s restaurant in Dallas.