American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stake in Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Free Report) by 565.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,791,366 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,522,370 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.11% of Bloomin' Brands worth $21,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BLMN. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Bloomin' Brands during the third quarter worth $41,325,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Bloomin' Brands by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,381,150 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $22,830,000 after acquiring an additional 356,456 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 58.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 691,585 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $11,432,000 after acquiring an additional 254,570 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bloomin' Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,882,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 43.3% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 720,403 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $11,908,000 after purchasing an additional 217,832 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Bloomin' Brands

In related news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total transaction of $79,497.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Bloomin' Brands Stock Performance

Shares of BLMN traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $7.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,428,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,843,559. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.74. Bloomin' Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.08 and a 52-week high of $28.92. 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 company has a market cap of $612.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -65.54 and a beta of 2.04.

Bloomin' Brands Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Bloomin' Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -40.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BLMN shares. Barclays set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Bloomin' Brands and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lowered Bloomin' Brands from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Bloomin' Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.50.

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.