Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday.

Several other research firms have also commented on EAT. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Brinker International from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $144.00 to $176.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $167.44.

Brinker International Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:EAT opened at $153.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.83 billion, a PE ratio of 15.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $125.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $100.30 and a 52 week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. Brinker International had a return on equity of 164.66% and a net margin of 7.94%.The business had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. The trade was a 55.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 342.5% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 1,079 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at approximately $598,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,446,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in Brinker International by 9.6% during the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 7,911 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares in the last quarter.

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.