Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Free Report) by 8,666.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,568,253 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,550,364 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned 1.85% of Bloomin' Brands worth $19,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BLMN. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Bloomin' Brands by 565.9% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,791,366 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $21,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,370 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 385.6% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,817,145 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $22,187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,442,964 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 483.0% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,225,608 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $14,965,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015,372 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Bloomin' Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,289,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 809.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 455,010 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,556,000 after acquiring an additional 405,003 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut Bloomin' Brands from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bloomin' Brands news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Bloomin' Brands Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLMN traded up $0.04 during trading on Monday, reaching $8.13. The company had a trading volume of 604,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,964,746. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46. Bloomin' Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.09 and a 12 month high of $25.78. The company's fifty day moving average price is $8.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.30. The stock has a market cap of $690.06 million, a P/E ratio of -73.96 and a beta of 1.76.

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 dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.38%. Bloomin' Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -40.27%.

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.