Wall Street Zen Downgrades Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) to Hold

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on EAT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Brinker International in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $177.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup raised their price target on Brinker International from $187.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $188.56.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.9%

EAT stock opened at $157.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.34. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $100.30 and a 1 year high of $192.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 134.92% and a net margin of 7.98%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.045-10.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 103.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,975,655 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $427,066,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511,266 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. bought a new stake in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $80,518,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter worth approximately $98,731,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 86.4% in the second 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 last quarter. Finally, Samlyn Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 104.9% in the 3rd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 878,584 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $111,299,000 after acquiring an additional 449,871 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Brinker International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat and upbeat commentary drove initial buying — Brinker reported an EPS beat and revenue ahead of estimates, and management highlighted a Chili’s turnaround that lifted sales and margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Chili’s operational improvement is the main growth engine cited on the call and in coverage — investors are focused on comp trends, menu mix, and margin leverage at Chili’s as the reason for the beat. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and ratings across the board after results — large banks (Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Citi, UBS, JPMorgan, Jefferies, Barclays, Piper Sandler, etc.) lifted price targets and several upgraded to buy/overweight, signaling increased analyst conviction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/sector context: analysis comparing Brinker’s year‑to‑date performance vs. retail/wholesale peers provides context but doesn’t change company fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation are available for detail — useful for verifying management’s commentary on comps, unit economics, and forward guidance. Article Title Presentation

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc (NYSE: EAT) is a leading global operator of casual dining restaurants. The company’s portfolio is anchored by its flagship Chili’s® Grill & Bar concept and Maggiano’s® Little Italy full‐service restaurants, offering a range of American‐style menu items, handcrafted cocktails and family‐friendly dining experiences. Through dine‐in, takeout, delivery and catering services, Brinker seeks to meet consumer preferences across multiple channels.

The Chili’s brand features signature items such as baby back ribs, burgers and fajitas alongside a rotating selection of limited‐time offerings and seasonal beverages.