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

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

BLMN has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup decreased their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Bloomin’ Brands from $26.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $30.00 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.33.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ BLMN traded down $0.24 on Thursday, reaching $15.95. The company had a trading volume of 644,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,468,931. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46. The company’s fifty day moving average is $17.41 and its 200 day moving average is $21.00. Bloomin’ Brands has a 52-week low of $15.20 and a 52-week high of $30.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92 and a beta of 2.05.

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

Institutional Trading of Bloomin’ Brands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BLMN. Norges Bank bought a new position in Bloomin’ Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $8,313,000. UBS Group AG raised its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 218,191 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,142,000 after purchasing an additional 41,341 shares in the last quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Bloomin’ Brands by 284,000.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,841 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 2,840 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC grew its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 5,014 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 1,763.3% during the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 218,496 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,151,000 after buying an additional 206,770 shares in the last quarter.

Bloomin’ Brands Company Profile

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.