Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $255.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $230.00.

EAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Freedom Broker raised shares of Brinker International to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Brinker International from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.33.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:EAT opened at $203.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $8.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.40. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $100.30 and a 1 year high of $254.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $216.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.92.

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). Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International will post 13.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, SVP Daniel S. Fuller sold 1,909 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.54, for a total value of $484,007.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 30,177 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,651,076.58. This represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP James M. Butler sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was 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 directly owned 9,064 shares in the company, valued at $2,178,713.68. The trade was a 52.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 173,694 shares of company stock valued at $41,568,690 in the last 90 days. 1.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smith Group Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 20,669 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,472,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Brinker International by 9.5% during the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,147 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Brinker International during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Brinker International by 12.0% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,021 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in Brinker International by 82.3% during the second quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 525 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Company Profile

Brinker International, Inc is a Dallas-based restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises casual dining establishments. Its portfolio is led by Chili’s Grill & Bar, a full-service restaurant brand known for burgers, steaks, fajitas, ribs and other American-style menu items, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, which specializes in Italian-American cuisine and operates both restaurants and catering services.

Brinker also developed It’s Just Wings, a virtual restaurant brand offering chicken wings, fries and related items through delivery and takeout.