Brinker International

EAT

Restaurants · Consumer Cyclical

Price

$246.06

+12.96 (+5.56%)

Market Cap

$10.55B

Winston Score

Winston is curious

A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.

Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 24, 2026

How the score breaks down

Quality

Good

Growth

Exceptional

Cash Flow

Strong

Stability

Good

Valuation

Good

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Share count falling — buybacks

−1.8% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 45.6M (2022) → 44.8M (2026)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Brinker International owns and operates casual dining restaurant chains, with Chili's Grill & Bar being its flagship brand. Chili's serves everyday American food — burgers, ribs, fajitas, and margaritas — to families and adults looking for a sit-down meal at a mid-range price. The company also operates Maggiano's Little Italy, a smaller chain of upscale Italian restaurants.

Brinker makes money primarily through food and drink sales at its restaurants, with locations spread across the United States and in about 25 other countries through a mix of company-owned and franchised restaurants. It operates roughly 1,200 Chili's locations in the U.S. alone, giving it significant scale and brand recognition in the casual dining segment. The main growth driver is Chili's recent push to win back value-focused customers through promotions like its "3 for Me" meal deal, though the business faces ongoing pressure from rising food and labor costs that can squeeze profit margins.

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Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+5.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+28.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Strong earnings growth

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

1.3%ownership

→ Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$0 cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Brinker International is growing revenue at 5% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale

Gross Margin

-83.7%

Thin — -83.7% gross margin

Profit after running costs

Operating Margin

10.7%

Modest — 10.7% operating margin

Return on the money invested

ROCE

30.1%

Exceptional — 30.1% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth

Sales YoY

+7.9%

Steady sales growth (+7.9% YoY)

Profit growth

EPS YoY

+29.5%

Earnings growing fast (+29.5% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is

EPS Consistency

7/8 quarters

Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash

Cash Conversion

156%

Turns 156% of profit into real cash

Spare cash per sale

FCF Margin

8.7%

Modest free cash flow (8.7%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns

Debt / Equity

3.64

Heavy debt load (3.64)

Covers its interest

Interest Cover

15.31x

Comfortably covers interest (15.3x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit

P/E Ratio (TTM)

22.0x

Growth-priced — P/E 22.0

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year

P/E vs Forward

+5.0

GROWING

Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (22.0 → 17.1)

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.

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