Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Purchases New Position in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 46,600 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $7,829,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Brinker International by 570.4% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 181 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Brinker International by 58.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 225 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 33,000.0% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP James M. Butler sold 10,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.37, for a total value of $2,403,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 9,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,178,713.68. This trade represents a 52.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Aaron M. White sold 16,220 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,099,822.32. This represents a 27.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 145,014 shares of company stock valued at $34,958,437. 1.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EAT opened at $230.51 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $203.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.24. Brinker International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $100.30 and a 52 week high of $254.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.24.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. Analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on EAT. Bank of America lifted their target price on Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Brinker International from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $207.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $220.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $325.00 price objective on the stock. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $242.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Brinker International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised most of its Brinker earnings outlook. Estimates increased for Q1 2027 EPS to $2.29 from $2.16, Q2 2027 to $3.24 from $3.03, Q3 2027 to $3.45 from $3.32, and Q4 2027 to $4.05 from $3.77. The FY2027 forecast rose to $13.03 from $12.29, suggesting stronger expected operating momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its FY2028 EPS estimate to $13.66 from $13.33, raised Q1 2028 to $2.49 from $2.45 and Q3 2028 to $3.54 from $3.37. Its new FY2029 forecast is $14.90 per share, above the current-year consensus of approximately $13.24.
• Neutral Sentiment: The revisions were not uniformly positive: Zacks trimmed its Q2 2028 EPS estimate to $3.30 from $3.34. The mixed adjustment limits the significance of the broader forecast increases.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Daniel Fuller sold 1,909 EAT shares for approximately $484,000 at an average price of $253.54, reducing his holdings by 5.95%. The transaction occurred near the stock’s 52-week high and may reinforce concerns about insider confidence. Daniel Fuller SEC insider-sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Brinker’s latest quarterly results provide a counterweight to the bullish estimates: EPS of $3.07 narrowly missed the $3.09 consensus, although revenue reached $1.54 billion, rose 5.1% year over year and exceeded expectations. With shares trading at an elevated valuation after a substantial rally, investors may be taking profits despite the company’s solid sales growth and FY2027 EPS guidance of $12.60–$13.40.

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.