Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Hold"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Bloomin’ Brands from “buy” to “hold.” Analysts overall have a “Reduce” average rating and an average price target of $11.10.
• Bloomin’ Brands reported quarterly EPS of negative $0.17, beating the expected negative $0.24, and revenue of $944.35 million, above estimates and up 1.7% year over year.
• Two executives sold shares on November 10: EVP Kelly Lefferts sold 50,000 shares, and EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 20,000 shares.

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank reissued a "hold" rating and set a $11.00 price target on shares of Bloomin' Brands in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Bloomin' Brands from $8.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Bloomin' Brands from $12.75 to $12.25 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bloomin' Brands has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $11.10.

Bloomin' Brands Stock Performance

Bloomin' Brands stock opened at $10.37 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $8.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.29. Bloomin' Brands has a fifty-two week low of $5.19 and a fifty-two week high of $12.63. The company has a market capitalization of $889.23 million, a PE ratio of 8.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.30.

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 6th. The restaurant operator reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07. Bloomin' Brands had a return on equity of 24.54% and a net margin of 1.79%. The company had revenue of $944.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $925.23 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.03) earnings per share. Bloomin' Brands's revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Bloomin' Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.970-1.020 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.070-0.120 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Bloomin' Brands will post 1.00 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kelly Lefferts sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.16, for a total transaction of $508,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 80,865 shares of the company's stock, valued at $821,588.40. This represents a 38.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.13, for a total value of $202,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $175,259.13. This trade represents a 53.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bloomin' Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Bloomin' Brands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $62,563,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 79.9% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,908,998 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $21,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,001 shares in the last quarter. Miller Value Partners LLC acquired a new position in Bloomin' Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $23,635,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 84.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,208,122 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $11,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,013,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 1.3% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 1,460,903 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $11,322,000 after buying an additional 19,136 shares during the last quarter.

Bloomin' Brands Company Profile

Bloomin' Brands, Inc. is a restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises casual and upscale dining concepts. Its brands include Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. The company's restaurants serve a range of offerings, including steaks and other grilled dishes, Italian cuisine, seafood and fine-dining meals. Bloomin' Brands was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Bloomin' Brands serves customers primarily in the United States, as well as in international markets through company-operated restaurants and franchise arrangements.

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