Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $192.00 price objective on the stock. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $186.61.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $146.93 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.34. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $152.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.10. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $187.12.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michaela M. Ware sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.40, for a total transaction of $812,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,235,495.20. This trade represents a 20.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 66,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $10,580,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,824 shares in the company, valued at $20,812,085.44. This trade represents a 33.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 97,678 shares of company stock valued at $15,700,372 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Brinker International by 56.3% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,580 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,860,000 after purchasing an additional 8,137 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 48.3% in the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 101,282 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,830,000 after purchasing an additional 32,991 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 87.7% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 23,023 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,917,000 after purchasing an additional 10,754 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 25.6% in the third quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 18,491 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,342,000 after purchasing an additional 3,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position in Brinker International by 53.8% during the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 41,823 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,298,000 after buying an additional 14,622 shares during the last quarter.

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.