On a flat day in the market, shares of casual dining chains were moving higher, a sign that investor hopes are building for a quicker-than-expected end to the lockdowns that have taken place across the country. Though there was no specific news moving the sector higher today, restaurant stocks had fallen so sharply over the last month that many of them are trading for bargain prices, or at least what would be bargains if they were able to operate normally.
Among the casual dining stocks moving higher today as of 11:16 a.m. EDT were Chili's-owner Brinker International (NYSE: EAT), which was up 11.3%, BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ: BJRI), which had gained 7.8%, and Dave and Buster's (NASDAQ: PLAY), which rose 8.3%.
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