Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Bloomin’ Brands from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.00.

Bloomin’ Brands Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BLMN opened at $8.79 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $11.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.94. Bloomin’ Brands has a twelve month low of $8.00 and a twelve month high of $30.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $746.54 million, a PE ratio of -79.90 and a beta of 1.97.

Bloomin’ Brands Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -40.27%.

Insider Activity at Bloomin’ Brands

In related news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total value of $79,497.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 79.1% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,371 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000.

Bloomin’ Brands Company Profile

Bloomin’ Brands, Inc engages in the acquisition, operation, design, and development of restaurant concepts. It operates through the U.S. and International geographical segments. The U.S. segment operates in the USA and Puerto Rico. The International segment operates in Brazil, South Korea, Hong Kong, and China.