Seaport Global Initiates Coverage of Brinker International at Buy
Fintel reports that on September 16, 2026, Seaport Global initiated coverage of Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) with a Buy recommendation. Brinker International, Inc., based in the United States, is a prominent entity within the hospitality industry, primarily focusing on casual dining. The company is renowned for owning and operating several major restaurant chains, including Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy.
Prior to this rating action, the stock closed at $203.47 on September 15, 2026. This latest close represents a price change of -8.55% over one week, compared to a baseline close of $222.49 on September 8, 2026. Over a one-month period, the stock experienced a price change of -14.20% from a baseline close of $237.15 on August 14, 2026.
Separate from Seaport Global's individual rating, the current consensus target mean for the stock was $272.51 as of September 15, 2026, representing a consensus target revision of -0.19% from the prior consensus target mean of $273.02 on August 28, 2026. The current consensus target median stands at $283.05, representing an implied change of +33.93% from the pre-action close.
In terms of aggregate analyst recommendations, the September 1, 2026 period recorded 8 strong buy, 12 buy, 7 hold, 0 sell, and 0 strong sell recommendations, totaling 27. This represents 74.1% positive, 25.9% hold, and 0.0% negative recommendations. In the prior period of August 1, 2026, there were 8 strong buy, 12 buy, 6 hold, 0 sell, and 0 strong sell recommendations, totaling 26, which comprised 76.9% positive, 23.1% hold, and 0.0% negative recommendations.
Other recent analyst activities include DA Davidson maintaining a Neutral rating on September 11, 2026, and Morgan Stanley maintaining an Overweight rating on September 10, 2026. Earlier, on August 24, 2026, Baird initiated coverage with an Outperform rating, and Piper Sandler maintained a Neutral rating on August 17, 2026.
Brinker International reported its latest earnings on August 12, 2026, posting an actual EPS of 3.07 against an estimate of 3.1202, representing a surprise of -1.61%. Actual revenue was $1,535,800,000.00 compared to an estimate of $1,549,648,050.00. According to the company's Form EX-99.1 filing dated August 12, 2026, titled "BRINKER INTERNATIONAL REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR FISCAL 2026 RESULTS AND PROVIDES FISCAL 2027 GUIDANCE", the company reported operating income of $ 167.0 and $ 142.7. The filing also reported net income of $ 131.1 and $ 107.0, and net income per diluted share of $ 2.99 and $ 2.30.
Recent analyst actions
| Date | Analyst | Prior | Latest recommendation | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16, 2026 | Seaport Global | Buy | initiated coverage | |
| September 11, 2026 | DA Davidson | Neutral | Neutral | maintained |
| September 10, 2026 | Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Overweight | maintained |
| August 24, 2026 | Baird | Outperform | initiated coverage | |
| August 17, 2026 | Piper Sandler | Neutral | Neutral | maintained |
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This story originally appeared on Fintel.