Brinker International Rises on Institutional Buys Despite 476th-Ranked Trading Volume and Insider Sales

Brinker International (EAT) rose 0.96% on August 25, with a trading volume of $0.19 billion, ranking 476th in volume that day. Institutional investors increased their stakes, including Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, which raised holdings by 5.1% to 967,550 shares valued at $144.2 million. Other firms, including LPL Financial LLC, also expanded their positions in the first quarter, reflecting growing institutional confidence in the stock.

Analysts revised their price targets higher, with Bank of America setting a $190.00 target and Stifel Nicolaus at $215.00. Multiple firms, including Evercore ISI and JPMorgan Chase, raised their outlooks in late July and August, signaling optimism about the company’s performance. Brinker’s Q2 earnings of $2.49 per share exceeded expectations, with revenue rising 21.0% year-over-year to $1.46 billion, supporting its FY 2026 guidance of $9.90–$10.50 EPS.

However, insider activity highlighted mixed signals. Directors Harriet Edelman and Joseph Michael Depinto sold significant portions of their holdings in August and June, respectively. Despite this, institutional ownership remains stable, with over $1.98 billion in combined stakes from major investors. The stock’s current consensus rating of "Hold" reflects a balance of bullish and cautious analyst views, with an average target price of $171.41.

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