HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 15.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,525 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 663 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Brinker International by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,613 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $67,814,000 after purchasing an additional 47,378 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Brinker International by 209.1% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 94,866 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,550,000 after purchasing an additional 64,178 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in Brinker International by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 6,811 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $901,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlTi Global Inc. purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at about $265,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $186.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $171.41.

Brinker International Stock Performance

NYSE EAT opened at $155.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.68. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $68.45 and a twelve month high of $192.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $163.64 and a 200 day moving average of $156.65.

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

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, Director Joseph Michael Depinto sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.36, for a total transaction of $1,703,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 99,297 shares in the company, valued at $16,916,236.92. This represents a 9.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director 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. Insiders sold 62,325 shares of company stock worth $9,954,705 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

About Brinker International

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.