Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $280.00 to $270.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 42.30% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Brinker International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Brinker International from $204.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Brinker International from $282.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.29.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Brinker International stock opened at $189.73 on Wednesday. Brinker International has a one year low of $100.30 and a one year 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’s 50 day moving average price is $215.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.25.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.30 EPS. Brinker International has set its FY 2027 guidance at 12.600-13.400 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Brinker International will post 13.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total value of $5,759,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 77,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,927,106.68. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Aaron White sold 16,220 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total value of $3,831,488.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,099,822.32. The trade was a 27.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,729,477 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,130,552,000 after buying an additional 145,525 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,748,760 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $293,786,000 after acquiring an additional 59,120 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,170,612 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $167,128,000 after acquiring an additional 9,692 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $91,237,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Brinker International by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 413,472 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $69,463,000 after acquiring an additional 160,939 shares during the last quarter.

About Brinker International

Brinker International, Inc is a casual-dining restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises restaurants in the United States and select international markets. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and serves customers through company-operated and franchised locations.

Brinker’s principal brands are Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy. Chili’s offers a broad menu of burgers, steaks, ribs, fajitas, Tex-Mex dishes, salads and beverages in a full-service, casual setting.