Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Price Target Cut to $156.00 by Analysts at Citigroup

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price target lowered by Citigroup from $168.00 to $156.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $190.00 to $192.00 in a report on Monday, October 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $169.06.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $131.90 on Tuesday. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $88.63 and a 12 month high of $192.21. The company’s fifty day moving average is $145.73 and its 200-day moving average is $154.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.38.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 211.86%. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. Brinker International’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. Equities analysts expect that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $1,307,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,538,085. This trade represents a 22.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $6,944,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth about $98,731,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 1st quarter worth about $76,114,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 86.4% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,091,692 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $196,865,000 after purchasing an additional 506,087 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 102.0% during the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 995,713 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $148,411,000 after purchasing an additional 502,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mane Global Capital Management LP bought a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,695,000.

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.