Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Buys New Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 35,879 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $6,028,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,819,397 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $691,680,000 after purchasing an additional 73,346 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Brinker International by 103.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,975,655 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $427,066,000 after buying an additional 1,511,266 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in 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 worth $176,542,000 after buying an additional 301,912 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $163,938,000 after buying an additional 993,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its position 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 valued at $163,306,000 after buying an additional 558,799 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EAT has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Brinker International from $207.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Brinker International from $227.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Stephens boosted their target price on Brinker International from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Brinker International from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.35.

Brinker International News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal fourth-quarter results were broadly encouraging: revenue exceeded expectations, EPS increased 23.3% year over year, and Chili’s delivered strong sales and traffic growth with expanding margins. However, reported EPS was slightly below consensus in the company’s earnings release. Brinker Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates, Revenues Beat on Chili’s Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s fiscal 2027 outlook calls for $12.60-$13.40 in EPS, supported in part by an extra 53rd operating week. Continued Chili’s traffic gains, restaurant reimages and cost control will determine whether the company can meet or exceed that guidance. EAT’s Fiscal 2027 Guidance Gets a Boost From the 53rd Operating Week
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets following the results, including Bank of America to $310 with a Buy rating, Stephens to $300, Citi to $282, Wells Fargo to $280 and KeyCorp to $275. These revisions reflect increased confidence in Chili’s execution and earnings growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brinker’s stock has risen 28.7% over the past month and reached a new 52-week high, raising expectations. Investors may now require continued traffic growth, margin delivery and guidance execution for further upside. EAT Jumps 28.7% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Northcoast Research downgraded EAT from Buy to Neutral, signaling that the recent rally may have priced in much of the expected improvement.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag elevated valuation, inflation and labor-cost risks, while Maggiano’s slower turnaround could limit consolidated growth. These concerns are contributing to profit-taking despite the favorable operating trends. Is EAT a Buy Now as Chili’s Growth Meets Cost and Valuation Risks?

Brinker International Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $237.42 on Friday. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $253.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $186.95 and a 200 day moving average of $160.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $10.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.24.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). Brinker International had a return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%.The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Brinker International, Inc. will post 13.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.