Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $161.00 to $160.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 26.72% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Brinker International from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a report on Monday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $175.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $144.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Brinker International from $170.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.61.

Brinker International Trading Down 4.4%

NYSE EAT opened at $126.27 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.38. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $92.50 and a 52 week high of $192.21. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $141.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,026,572.48. This represents a 55.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $33,594,669.94. This represents a 17.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,325 shares of company stock valued at $10,754,785 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 575.0% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 153.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 783 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,267 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 1,714.3% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Archford Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 1st quarter valued at about $688,000.

About Brinker International

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.