Empowered Funds LLC Sells 2,705 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Empowered Funds LLC trimmed its position in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,703 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 2,705 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $6,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of EAT. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Brinker International by 105.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Brinker International by 227.3% during the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 252 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 52.1% during the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 219 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of EAT opened at $127.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a PE ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.38. The company’s fifty day moving average is $125.25 and its 200 day moving average is $149.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.35. Brinker International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $100.30 and a fifty-two week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 164.66% and a net margin of 7.94%.The firm’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised shares of Brinker International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Brinker International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Brinker International from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Brinker International from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $6,944,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 212,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. The trade was a 17.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total value of $2,503,680.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. This trade represents a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.