Meeder Asset Management Inc. Takes $41,000 Position in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,389 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $41,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 2.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 50,007 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $773,000 after buying an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 238,093 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977 shares during the last quarter. Rye Brook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Rye Brook Capital LLC now owns 167,700 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,048,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Bloomin’ Brands by 22.9% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,186 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 3,574 shares during the period. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Bloomin’ Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Up 7.3 %

Shares of BLMN opened at $7.69 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.81. The stock has a market cap of $653.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -69.90 and a beta of 2.04. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.08 and a 12 month high of $29.00.

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 given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.80%. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -40.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of Bloomin’ Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total value of $79,497.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BLMN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Bloomin’ Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Bloomin’ Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on Bloomin’ Brands and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.