Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 25.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 73,628 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,991 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $10,512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,819,397 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $691,680,000 after purchasing an additional 73,346 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,393,604 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $176,542,000 after buying an additional 301,912 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 667.5% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,142,263 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $163,938,000 after buying an additional 993,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Brinker International by 96.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,137,863 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $163,306,000 after buying an additional 558,799 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stephens started coverage on Brinker International in a report on Friday, July 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $220.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Brinker International from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Brinker International from $189.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Brinker International from $170.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.25.

Brinker International Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of EAT stock opened at $210.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $210.24. The company has a market capitalization of $9.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $167.57 and its 200 day moving average is $155.69.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.85 by $0.05. Brinker International had a return on equity of 123.22% and a net margin of 8.07%.The company had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 10.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Company Profile

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.