Wedbush Securities Inc. Sells 1,236 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Wedbush Securities Inc. trimmed its holdings in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) by 47.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,342 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,236 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Brinker International were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EAT. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth about $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in Brinker International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 227.3% during the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 252 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its position in Brinker International by 52.1% in the 2nd 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. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT opened at $117.17 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $192.21. The firm has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s fifty day moving average is $128.69 and its 200-day moving average is $149.75.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.94% and a return on equity of 164.66%. The company’s revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Brinker International

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total value of $6,944,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 212,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,594,669.94. This represents a 17.13% 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 corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Brinker International in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Evercore ISI raised Brinker International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $190.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Brinker International from $207.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.67.

About Brinker International

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.