Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group

by · The Markets Daily

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT – Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $255.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $230.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 26.21% from the stock’s previous close.

EAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Freedom Broker raised Brinker International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Brinker International from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $247.19.

Read Our Latest Report on EAT

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $202.04 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $217.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.79. Brinker International has a fifty-two week low of $100.30 and a fifty-two week high of $254.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT – Get Free Report) 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 company had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International will post 13.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total transaction of $5,759,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 77,812 shares in the company, valued at $17,927,106.68. The trade was a 24.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Aaron M. White sold 16,220 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total transaction of $3,831,488.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 42,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,099,822.32. This trade represents a 27.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 173,694 shares of company stock valued at $41,568,690 in the last ninety days. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth about $446,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 24.9% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,348 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 413.0% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,698 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,367 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Brinker International by 14.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 64,309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,804,000 after purchasing an additional 8,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in Brinker International by 3.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,748,760 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $293,786,000 after purchasing an additional 59,120 shares in the last quarter.

Brinker International Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Brinker International, Inc is a Dallas-based restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises casual dining establishments. Its portfolio is led by Chili’s Grill & Bar, a full-service restaurant brand known for burgers, steaks, fajitas, ribs and other American-style menu items, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, which specializes in Italian-American cuisine and operates both restaurants and catering services.

Brinker also developed It’s Just Wings, a virtual restaurant brand offering chicken wings, fries and related items through delivery and takeout.

Further Reading