Wedbush Equities Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for EAT

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) – Stock analysts at Wedbush raised their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Brinker International in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now forecasts that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $2.43 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.38. Wedbush has a “Neutral” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Brinker International’s current full-year earnings is $8.33 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Brinker International’s FY2025 earnings at $8.01 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.84 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.83 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.41 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $9.50 EPS.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Brinker International from $62.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Brinker International from $69.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Brinker International from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brinker International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.18.

Brinker International Stock Performance

EAT opened at $187.80 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $141.60 and its 200 day moving average is $104.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 2.54. Brinker International has a 12-month low of $42.99 and a 12-month high of $192.22.

Institutional Trading of Brinker International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EAT. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in Brinker International by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 123.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 309 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Truist Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $206,000. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Brinker International during the 4th quarter valued at $219,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.72% of the company’s stock.

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.