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

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on BLMN. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 19th. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $26.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Bloomin’ Brands from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.33.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Performance

NASDAQ BLMN opened at $16.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.54 and a beta of 2.04. The business’s 50 day moving average is $16.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.96. Bloomin’ Brands has a 12-month low of $15.14 and a 12-month high of $30.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Bloomin’ Brands will post 2.07 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bloomin’ Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 508,688 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,409,000 after purchasing an additional 74,079 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake 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 last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 6.6% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,676 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Easterly Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 14.8% in the third quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 676,157 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,177,000 after buying an additional 87,293 shares during the last quarter.

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.