Legal & General Group Plc Buys New Holdings in Brinker International, Inc. $EAT

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 104,124 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $17,493,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Brinker International by 570.4% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 181 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Brinker International by 58.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 225 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Brinker International by 1,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 360 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.15, for a total value of $9,726,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 144,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,035,483.50. This represents a 21.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Aaron M. White sold 16,220 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.22, for a total transaction of $3,831,488.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,756 shares in the company, valued at $10,099,822.32. The trade was a 27.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 145,014 shares of company stock worth $34,958,437. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Brinker International Stock Up 0.1%

EAT stock opened at $230.51 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.21. The company has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.23. Brinker International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $100.30 and a twelve month high of $254.99.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). Brinker International had a net margin of 8.39% and a return on equity of 122.35%. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brinker International, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EAT. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Brinker International from $220.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Brinker International from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Brinker International from $204.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $242.19.

More Brinker International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Brinker International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised most of its Brinker earnings outlook. Estimates increased for Q1 2027 EPS to $2.29 from $2.16, Q2 2027 to $3.24 from $3.03, Q3 2027 to $3.45 from $3.32, and Q4 2027 to $4.05 from $3.77. The FY2027 forecast rose to $13.03 from $12.29, suggesting stronger expected operating momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted its FY2028 EPS estimate to $13.66 from $13.33, raised Q1 2028 to $2.49 from $2.45 and Q3 2028 to $3.54 from $3.37. Its new FY2029 forecast is $14.90 per share, above the current-year consensus of approximately $13.24.
• Neutral Sentiment: The revisions were not uniformly positive: Zacks trimmed its Q2 2028 EPS estimate to $3.30 from $3.34. The mixed adjustment limits the significance of the broader forecast increases.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Daniel Fuller sold 1,909 EAT shares for approximately $484,000 at an average price of $253.54, reducing his holdings by 5.95%. The transaction occurred near the stock’s 52-week high and may reinforce concerns about insider confidence. Daniel Fuller SEC insider-sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Brinker’s latest quarterly results provide a counterweight to the bullish estimates: EPS of $3.07 narrowly missed the $3.09 consensus, although revenue reached $1.54 billion, rose 5.1% year over year and exceeded expectations. With shares trading at an elevated valuation after a substantial rally, investors may be taking profits despite the company’s solid sales growth and FY2027 EPS guidance of $12.60–$13.40.

Brinker International Company Profile

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.