Robert W. Baird Initiates Coverage on Brinker International (NYSE:EAT)

Investment analysts at Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm set an “outperform” rating and a $325.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price suggests a potential upside of 32.08% from the stock’s current price.

EAT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Brinker International from $160.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Brinker International from $227.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Northcoast Research lowered Brinker International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $242.19.

Brinker International Price Performance

Shares of EAT opened at $246.06 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.53. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $253.71. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $10.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.24.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%.The company had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.30 earnings per share. The business’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 predict that Brinker International will post 13.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP George S. Felix sold 14,349 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.47, for a total value of $3,407,457.03. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,494,398.71. The trade was a 69.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Daniel S. Fuller sold 9,960 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.43, for a total transaction of $2,424,562.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 32,086 shares in the company, valued at $7,810,694.98. The trade was a 23.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 133,105 shares of company stock valued at $32,070,729 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Brinker International by 16,319.0% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,471,232 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,423,167,000 after acquiring an additional 8,419,638 shares during the period. Nilsine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 19,541 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,283,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Brinker International by 5.7% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,528 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $761,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter worth about $586,000. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Brinker International during the second quarter worth approximately $281,000.

About Brinker International

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.