Brinker International Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:EAT)

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 5,513 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 137% compared to the typical volume of 2,331 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EAT. Barclays decreased their price objective on Brinker International from $170.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America raised Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $190.00 to $192.00 in a research report on Monday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.61.

Brinker International Trading Down 4.4%

NYSE EAT opened at $126.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Brinker International has a 12 month low of $92.50 and a 12 month high of $192.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $141.97 and a 200-day moving average of $153.61.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In related news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,538,085. The trade was a 22.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total value of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,026,572.48. This represents a 55.27% 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 worth $10,754,785. 1.43% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $98,731,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 1st quarter valued at $76,114,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Brinker International by 86.4% in 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 acquiring an additional 506,087 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its stake in Brinker International by 102.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 502,897 shares during the period. Finally, Mane Global Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at $68,695,000.

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.