Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Brinker International from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Brinker International in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $192.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Brinker International from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Brinker International from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $188.56.

Brinker International Price Performance

EAT opened at $162.01 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.35. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week high of $192.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The restaurant operator reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.41 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 7.98% and a return on equity of 134.92%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. Brinker International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.045-10.850 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Brinker International will post 8.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Brinker International news, CEO Kevin Hochman sold 66,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.31, for a total value of $10,580,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,824 shares in the company, valued at $20,812,085.44. This represents a 33.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $1,335,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,339,636. This trade represents a 28.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Brinker International by 103.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,975,655 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $427,066,000 after acquiring an additional 1,511,266 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $80,518,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Brinker International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $98,731,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Brinker International by 86.4% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,091,692 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $196,865,000 after purchasing an additional 506,087 shares during the period. Finally, Samlyn Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Brinker International by 104.9% in the 3rd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 878,584 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $111,299,000 after purchasing an additional 449,871 shares in the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Brinker International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several broker reports raised EAT price targets this weekend (new targets reported: $166, $170, $187, $200 and $205), signaling stronger analyst conviction in Brinker’s outlook and supporting upside sentiment. Price Target $166 Price Target $170 Price Target $187 Price Target $200 Price Target $205
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighted Brinker’s strong interest-coverage/profile stability—EAT was named among stocks with solid coverage ratios, which can attract risk-averse investors in tighter markets. Zacks Coverage Ratios Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals context: Brinker recently reported an earnings beat and raised FY guidance, which underpins analyst upgrades and market interest (background earnings release). This helps explain the positive analyst activity even as other news flows. (See the company’s most recent earnings release for details.)
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kevin Hochman sold 66,000 shares at an average price of $160.31 (disclosed Jan. 29), cutting his stake by ~33.7%. Large insider sales can raise investor concern about insider conviction or signal liquidity events. CEO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Director Harriet Edelman sold 8,400 shares at an average $159.00 (disclosed Jan. 29), trimming her holding by ~28.6%; another insider sale that may temper sentiment. Director Sale SEC Filing

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.