Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.33.

BLMN has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group cut their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $26.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Bloomin’ Brands from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $30.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $27.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bloomin’ Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the second quarter worth approximately $111,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Bloomin’ Brands during the second quarter valued at $351,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 28.7% during the second quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 70,666 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 15,756 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel increased its position in Bloomin’ Brands by 52.7% in the second quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 20,815 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 7,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 76.5% in the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 544,742 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,475,000 after buying an additional 236,037 shares during the period.

Bloomin’ Brands Price Performance

BLMN opened at $16.80 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46. The company has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25 and a beta of 2.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.30. Bloomin’ Brands has a 12-month low of $15.20 and a 12-month high of $30.13.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.07). Bloomin’ Brands had a return on equity of 61.90% and a net margin of 0.70%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Bloomin’ Brands will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bloomin’ Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.71%. Bloomin’ Brands’s payout ratio is 150.00%.

About Bloomin’ Brands

Bloomin' Brands, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates casual, upscale casual, and fine dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, U.S. and International. Its restaurant portfolio has four concepts, including Outback Steakhouse, a casual steakhouse restaurant; Carrabba's Italian Grill, a casual Italian restaurant; Bonefish Grill; and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, a contemporary steakhouse.