Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Grows Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 5.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,757 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 431 shares during the quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $1,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,803,000. Aurora Investment Counsel purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,256,000. LMG Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. LMG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,888 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,591,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Brinker International from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 16th. Barclays lowered their target price on Brinker International from $170.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Brinker International from $161.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $167.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,325 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.00, for a total transaction of $1,307,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,538,085. The trade was a 22.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $6,944,080.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. This represents a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785. 1.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Brinker International Stock Down 1.2%

Brinker International stock opened at $131.85 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Brinker International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.70 and a 1-year high of $192.21. The company has a market cap of $5.86 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $142.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.68.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The restaurant operator reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.02. Brinker International had a return on equity of 211.86% and a net margin of 7.12%.The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.