Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Trading Up 6.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) were up 6.2% on Tuesday after Northcoast Research upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. Northcoast Research now has a $275.00 price target on the stock. Brinker International traded as high as $213.47 and last traded at $212.6270. 176,519 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 1,181,519 shares. The stock had previously closed at $200.30.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $220.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Brinker International to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, EVP Aaron M. White sold 16,220 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total transaction of $3,831,488.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,099,822.32. This represents a 27.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP George S. Felix sold 14,349 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.47, for a total value of $3,407,457.03. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,494,398.71. The trade was 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 ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 18.0% in the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 63,795 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,718,000 after buying an additional 9,733 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,258,000. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,710,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 37.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 242,648 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,643,000 after purchasing an additional 66,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter worth about $766,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company’s 50-day moving average is $217.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.49. The company has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.25.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.