Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) Short Interest Down 17.9% in March

Key Points

• Short interest fell 17.9% in March to 7,302,053 shares (about 8.7% of shares sold short), yielding a short-interest ratio of roughly 2.0 days based on average daily volume.
• Earnings and guidance were mixed: Q4 EPS slightly beat at $0.26 while revenue was marginally below expectations, and management set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.57–$0.62 and FY2026 guidance of $0.75–$0.90 per share.
• Market sentiment remains cautious with a MarketBeat consensus of "Reduce" (average target $8.44), even as insiders and several institutional investors materially increased or initiated positions (including a director buy and large purchases by Millennium and Federated Hermes).

Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,302,053 shares, a decline of 17.9% from the March 15th total of 8,895,649 shares. Currently, 8.7% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,662,561 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Bloomin' Brands Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ BLMN traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $6.54. The stock had a trading volume of 961,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,733,242. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.31. Bloomin' Brands has a twelve month low of $5.19 and a twelve month high of $10.70. The company's 50 day moving average price is $6.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.64. The firm has a market cap of $556.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.12.

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. Bloomin' Brands had a net margin of 0.21% and a return on equity of 26.26%. The company had revenue of $975.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.64 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. Bloomin' Brands's quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Bloomin' Brands has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.570-0.620 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Bloomin' Brands will post 1.8 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Bloomin' Brands in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $6.75 to $7.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $8.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rohit Lal purchased 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.69 per share, for a total transaction of $56,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $171,587.64. This trade represents a 49.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BLMN. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 123.1% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,299,778 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $16,489,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268,988 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 115.9% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,064,940 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $12,741,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108,500 shares during the period. Broad Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Bloomin' Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $6,031,000. Nuveen LLC lifted its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 371.5% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,057,233 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $6,523,000 after acquiring an additional 832,982 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 411.8% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 712,587 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $6,135,000 after acquiring an additional 573,363 shares during the period.

Bloomin' Brands Company Profile

Bloomin' Brands, Inc engages in the ownership, operation and franchising of casual dining restaurants worldwide. The company's portfolio includes five full-service restaurant chains: Outback Steakhouse, known for its Australian-inspired steakhouse concept; Carrabba's Italian Grill, offering Italian-American cuisine; Bonefish Grill, specializing in handcrafted seafood dishes; Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, focusing on premium steak and wine experiences; and Aussie Grill by Outback, featuring a streamlined menu of signature items.

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