Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $270.00 to $285.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 31.32% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on EAT. UBS Group lifted their price target on Brinker International from $190.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Brinker International from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $270.00 to $260.00 in a report on Friday, October 16th. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Brinker International to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Brinker International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $275.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Brinker International from $224.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.35.

Brinker International Stock Performance

Shares of EAT stock opened at $217.03 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $210.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.06. The stock has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.25. Brinker International has a 1 year low of $100.30 and a 1 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.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.32. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. Brinker International had a return on equity of 122.35% and a net margin of 8.39%. Brinker International’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 13.20 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Brinker International news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.15, for a total transaction of $9,726,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 144,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,035,483.50. This trade represents a 21.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP George Felix sold 14,349 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,494,398.71. This represents a 69.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Brinker International by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 0.5% in the second quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 20,669 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,472,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,078 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter.

Brinker International News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly performance: Brinker reported fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings of $2.77 per share, exceeding consensus estimates of $2.45–$2.49 and rising from $2.17 a year earlier. Revenue increased 9.4% year over year to $1.48 billion, also topping expectations. Brinker International fiscal first-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Chili’s continued to drive growth: The chain posted its 22nd consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, with comparable sales up 10% despite lapping a 21% increase last year. Management cited a three-year cumulative comparable-sales gain of 52%, supporting the view that Chili’s momentum remains durable. Brinker rallies after Chili’s results
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 outlook raised: Brinker now expects adjusted fiscal 2027 earnings of $13.30 to $13.90 per share, slightly above the FactSet estimate of $13.28. The improved forecast reinforces expectations for continued earnings growth. Brinker fiscal 2027 earnings outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased: Robert W. Baird raised its price target from $270 to $280 and maintained an “outperform” rating, while TD Cowen lifted its target from $250 to $270 and assigned a “buy” rating. The targets imply substantial upside from the reported $220.29 reference price. Robert W. Baird Brinker rating

Brinker International Company Profile

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.