Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) Shares Purchased by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) by 103.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 341,437 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 173,942 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned 0.40% of Bloomin’ Brands worth $4,169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 79.1% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,371 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 606.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,890 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 4,198 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the fourth quarter valued at about $140,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 63,457.9% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 12,076 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 12,057 shares during the period. Finally, Fruth Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $152,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the firm’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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Performance

Shares of BLMN stock opened at $8.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $10.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.31. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.75 and a 1 year high of $29.10. The firm has a market cap of $687.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -73.54 and a beta of 2.04.

Bloomin’ Brands Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.42%. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently -40.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on BLMN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Bloomin’ Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America lowered 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. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on Bloomin’ Brands and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bloomin’ Brands presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.50.

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.