Brinker Earnings: Chili's Turnaround Still Has Firepower Despite Industry Angst; Shares Rich

Led by Chili's, Brinker chalked up 5% comparable sales growth in the fourth quarter, driven by 4.2% and 1% lifts in price and traffic, respectively. More productive stores helped expand unit-level margins by 20 basis points to 18%, despite elevated food costs and investments in labor and marketing.