Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced 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. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group reduced 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. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Bloomin’ Brands from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Performance

BLMN opened at $8.79 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $746.54 million, a PE ratio of -79.90 and a beta of 2.04. Bloomin’ Brands has a twelve month low of $8.00 and a twelve month high of $29.59. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $11.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46.

Bloomin’ Brands Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -40.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bloomin’ Brands news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total transaction of $79,497.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Bloomin’ Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,519,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Bloomin’ Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $1,552,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 160.9% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 401,697 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,905,000 after buying an additional 247,702 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 99.5% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,319 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 5,146 shares in the last quarter.

About Bloomin’ Brands

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.