Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.07 EPS

Key Points

• Bloomin’ Brands beat quarterly expectations: It reported a loss of $0.17 per share versus the expected $0.24 loss, while revenue of $944.4 million exceeded estimates and rose 1.7% year over year.
• The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $0.97–$1.02, but its Q4 EPS forecast of $0.07–$0.12 was below analyst expectations.
• Weak traffic and food and labor cost pressures weighed on performance: U.S. comparable sales rose 1.9% as traffic fell 1.8%, and restaurant margins declined.

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The restaurant operator reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. Bloomin' Brands had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 28.95%. 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 previous year, the business posted ($0.03) earnings per share. Bloomin' Brands's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Bloomin' Brands updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.970-1.020 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance to 0.070-0.120 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Bloomin' Brands' conference call:

• Traffic remained weak despite positive comparable sales. U.S. comps rose 1.9% in Q3 as average check increased 3.7%, while traffic fell 1.8%; management said results were below the industry benchmark. Q4 comp guidance is 0%–1%, partly reflecting holiday calendar shifts, lapping a prior-year promotion, and delayed pricing actions.
• Adjusted diluted loss widened to $0.17 per share from $0.03 a year ago, and adjusted operating margin declined to 0.3% from 0.8%. Restaurant margin fell to 9.3%, pressured by food and labor inflation and turnaround investments.
• Bloomin’ raised and narrowed its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $0.97–$1.02, from $0.90–$1.00. Net debt declined year over year to about $677 million, and the company refinanced its revolving credit facility with a new five-year agreement.
• Management reported improving Outback guest scores for a fifth consecutive quarter, including gains in service, value, and intent to return, and said the new peak-hour service model is receiving positive feedback. The company remains on track for about 85 Outback restaurant refreshes this year, with nearly all locations targeted for upgrades by the end of 2028.
• An Outback franchisee, Out West, filed for bankruptcy and is selling 61 restaurants; Bloomin’ Brands entered a stalking-horse purchase agreement for the locations. Management said the restaurants continue operating normally, expects no material Q4 impact, and plans to provide more detail after the process advances.

Bloomin' Brands Trading Down 6.9%

Bloomin' Brands stock traded down $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $9.75. The stock had a trading volume of 2,844,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,516,090. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Bloomin' Brands has a 52-week low of $5.19 and a 52-week high of $12.63. The firm has a market cap of $834.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.21 and a 200 day moving average of $7.96.

Key Headlines Impacting Bloomin' Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Bloomin' Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 revenue was $944.4 million, above the $925.2 million consensus and up 1.7% year over year. The adjusted loss of $0.17 per share was also narrower than the expected $0.24 loss. Bloomin' Brands Q3 Loss Narrower Than Expected, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 EPS outlook to $0.97–$1.02, slightly above the $0.96 analyst consensus, citing continued progress in Outback Steakhouse’s turnaround. Outback Steakhouse Owner Raises Profit Outlook as Chain's Turnaround Continues
• Negative Sentiment: The Q4 EPS forecast of $0.07–$0.12 fell short of the $0.14 consensus, raising concern about near-term earnings. Reports also pointed to weak traffic and cost pressures on margins, helping explain why the quarterly beat and higher annual outlook did not lift sentiment. Weak Holiday-Quarter Outlook Spoils the Party

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on BLMN shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research cut Bloomin' Brands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Bloomin' Brands from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $6.00 to $13.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Bloomin' Brands from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Bloomin' Brands from $9.00 to $11.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to MarketBeat.com, Bloomin' Brands has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.10.

Bloomin' Brands Company Profile

Bloomin' Brands, Inc is a restaurant company that owns, operates and franchises a portfolio of casual dining and upscale restaurant concepts. Its principal brands include Outback Steakhouse, known for steaks and other Australian-inspired dishes; Carrabba's Italian Grill, which serves Italian-American cuisine; Bonefish Grill, focused on seafood and contemporary dishes; and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

The company's restaurants offer a range of dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering services, with menus generally centered on full-service meals, specialty beverages and hospitality-oriented dining experiences.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.