Hitting fresh all-time highs of nearly $140 a share on Friday, Brinker International (EAT – Free Report) stock has now soared over +240% in the last year.
As one of the stock market’s top performers, investors are surely wondering if the incredible rally can continue for the operator and franchiser of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy.
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Why Brinker Stock is Doing So Well
Brinker’s success can be traced to its competitive menu pricing, particularly at Chili’s. This has started to draw consumers from competitors such as Texas Roadhouse (TXRH – Free Report) and Darden Restaurants (DRI – Free Report) which operates Olive Garden and Long-Horn Steakhouse.
Complementing its pricing strategies, Brinker has continued to focus on Chili’s international expansion with a growing presence in Mexico, Canada, and the Middle East.
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Tracking Brinker’s Growth Trajectory
Based on Zacks estimates, Brinker’s total sales are now expected to rise 9% in fiscal 2025 and are projected to increase another 4% in FY26 to $5.01 billion. More impressive, annual earnings are expected to climb 44% in FY25 to $5.91 versus EPS of $4.10 last year. Plus, FY26 EPS is projected to increase another 14%.
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Monitoring Brinker’s Valuation
Magnifying Brinker’s attractive growth trajectory is the company’s reasonable valuation. Brinker’s stock still trades at 23.3X forward earnings which is slightly beneath its Zacks Retail-Restaurants Industry average with Texas Roadhouse and Darden at 25.1X and 19.6X respectively. Furthermore, Brinker trades under the optimum level of less than 2X sales.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Takeaway
Even after such an incredible rally, it’s hard to count Brinker International’s stock out in terms of more upside. To that point, Brinker’s stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) based on a trend of positive earnings estimate revisions for FY25 and FY26. In addition to this, Brinker has an overall “A” VGM Zacks Style Scores grade for the combination of Value, Growth, and Momentum.
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