American Century Companies Inc. Increases Stake in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) by 565.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,791,366 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,522,370 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.11% of Bloomin’ Brands worth $21,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 606.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,890 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 4,198 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Bloomin’ Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $140,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 63,457.9% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 12,076 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 12,057 shares during the period. Fruth Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $152,000. Finally, EMC Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 527,533.3% during the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 15,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 15,826 shares during the period.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Performance

BLMN stock opened at $7.41 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.37 and a 1 year high of $29.10. The company has a market cap of $629.34 million, a P/E ratio of -67.36 and a beta of 2.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $10.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.94.

Bloomin’ Brands Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.10%. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently -40.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total value of $79,497.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BLMN shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on Bloomin’ Brands and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Bloomin’ Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bloomin’ Brands presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.50.

Bloomin’ Brands 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.