Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Seaport Research Partners

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) was upgraded by investment analysts at Seaport Research Partners to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on EAT. Bank of America boosted their price target on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Brinker International from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.30.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $210.64 on Tuesday. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $100.30 and a 12-month high of $254.99. The company has a market capitalization of $8.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $216.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.31.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 13.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.15, for a total transaction of $9,726,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 144,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,035,483.50. The trade was a 21.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP George S. Felix sold 14,349 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.47, for a total value of $3,407,457.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,494,398.71. This trade represents a 69.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Brinker International by 13.1% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,620,000 after acquiring an additional 2,489 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,897 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,495,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 318.2% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 28,047 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,712,000 after purchasing an additional 21,340 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International in the second quarter worth $145,000. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter worth $687,000.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is a Dallas-based restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises casual dining restaurants. Its portfolio includes Chili’s Grill & Bar, a full-service restaurant brand known for burgers, fajitas, ribs, steaks, Tex-Mex dishes and a broad beverage menu, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, which specializes in Italian-American cuisine and family-style dining.

Chili’s restaurants serve a wide range of lunch and dinner offerings in a casual, bar-and-grill setting, while Maggiano’s locations offer traditional Italian dishes, including pasta, chicken, seafood and desserts.