Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 8th, 2026

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT – Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday morning,Zacks reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Brinker International’s Q1 2027 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $4.06 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $13.06 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.59 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $3.61 EPS, Q4 2028 earnings at $4.45 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $13.97 EPS and FY2029 earnings at $15.22 EPS.

EAT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Mizuho increased their price target on Brinker International from $175.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $204.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Brinker International from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Brinker International from $227.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.38.

View Our Latest Report on Brinker International

Brinker International Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of Brinker International stock opened at $184.99 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $219.55 and a 200-day moving average of $178.44. The stock has a market cap of $7.73 billion, a PE ratio of 16.99, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25. Brinker International has a 52-week low of $100.30 and a 52-week 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 – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The restaurant operator reported $3.07 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 business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 13.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Brinker International

In other news, Director Joseph DePinto sold 25,000 shares of Brinker International stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.39, for a total value of $5,759,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 77,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,927,106.68. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James Katzman sold 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.09, for a total value of $143,058.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,522,938.46. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 173,694 shares of company stock worth $41,568,690. 1.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EAT. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 14.9% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 64,309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,804,000 after acquiring an additional 8,336 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Brinker International by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,748,760 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $293,786,000 after purchasing an additional 59,120 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Brinker International by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 21,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,620,000 after purchasing an additional 2,489 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Brinker International by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,897 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,495,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its stake in Brinker International by 318.2% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 28,047 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,712,000 after purchasing an additional 21,340 shares during the last quarter.

Trending Headlines about Brinker International

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

Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded EAT to “Strong Buy.” The upgrade improves the near-term analyst sentiment surrounding Brinker and reflects confidence in the restaurant operator’s growth prospects. Brinker International upgraded to Strong Buy at Zacks Research
Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised multiple earnings forecasts. Estimates increased for Q1 2027 EPS to $2.42 from $2.29, FY2027 EPS to $13.06 from $13.03, FY2028 EPS to $13.97 from $13.66, and FY2029 EPS to $15.22 from $14.90. Additional quarterly estimates were also raised, signaling expectations for continued earnings growth. Zacks Research raises earnings estimates for Brinker International
Positive Sentiment: The long-term growth case remains favorable. Zacks highlighted EAT as a potential long-term growth stock, supported by its style-score characteristics and expected earnings expansion. Why Brinker International is a top growth stock for the long term
Neutral Sentiment: Brinker’s current full-year consensus EPS estimate is $13.15, while its FY2027 guidance is $12.60–$13.40, keeping investor attention focused on whether execution can meet the optimistic analyst forecasts.
Negative Sentiment: The company’s latest reported EPS of $3.07 narrowly missed the $3.09 consensus estimate, despite revenue exceeding expectations. That modest earnings miss may be contributing to caution, particularly after a substantial prior run-up in the stock.

About Brinker International

(Get Free Report)

Brinker International, Inc is a Dallas-based restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises casual dining establishments. Its portfolio is led by Chili’s Grill & Bar, a full-service restaurant brand known for burgers, steaks, fajitas, ribs and other American-style menu items, and Maggiano’s Little Italy, which specializes in Italian-American cuisine and operates both restaurants and catering services.

Brinker also developed It’s Just Wings, a virtual restaurant brand offering chicken wings, fries and related items through delivery and takeout.