Squarepoint Ops LLC Lowers Stake in Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lessened its stake in shares of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Free Report) by 89.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,511 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 153,587 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Bloomin' Brands were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Bloomin' Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $1,552,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 160.9% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 401,697 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $4,905,000 after acquiring an additional 247,702 shares during the period. State of Wyoming grew its position in Bloomin' Brands by 99.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,319 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 5,146 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 655,688 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $8,006,000 after buying an additional 31,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Bloomin' Brands by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 195,207 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,383,000 after buying an additional 39,845 shares during the last quarter.

Bloomin' Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BLMN traded up $0.75 during trading on Monday, hitting $8.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,201,645 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,098,048. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $707.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -75.72 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $7.75 and a 200-day moving average of $10.03. Bloomin' Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.09 and a 12 month high of $21.45.

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. Bloomin' Brands had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 62.18%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Bloomin' Brands, Inc. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Bloomin' Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.20%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. Bloomin' Brands's payout ratio is -2,000.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BLMN shares. Barclays reduced their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $13.00 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bloomin' Brands presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.75.

About Bloomin' Brands

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.