Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of EAT Q2 Earnings

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Brinker International in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $2.49 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.61. The consensus estimate for Brinker International’s current full-year earnings is $8.30 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Brinker International’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.83 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.91 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.16 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.08 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.09 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.02 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.45 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $11.64 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.18 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $12.29 EPS.

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.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $155.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Brinker International from $156.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded Brinker International from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $210.00 in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.67.

Brinker International Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of EAT traded up $3.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $117.36. 679,810 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,485,202. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $149.98. Brinker International has a 52 week low of $100.30 and a 52 week high of $192.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.35.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new stake in Brinker International in the second quarter worth $25,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Brinker International by 105.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Brinker International in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 44,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.48, for a total transaction of $2,503,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,026,572.48. The trade was a 55.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.