Easterly Investment Partners LLC Buys 37,784 Shares of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

Easterly Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Free Report) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 713,941 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 37,784 shares during the quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 0.84% of Bloomin' Brands worth $8,717,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 606.6% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,890 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 4,198 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Bloomin' Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $140,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 63,457.9% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 12,076 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 12,057 shares in the last quarter. Fruth Investment Management bought a new position in shares of Bloomin' Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $152,000. Finally, EMC Capital Management raised its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 527,533.3% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 15,829 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 15,826 shares in the last quarter.

Bloomin' Brands Trading Down 2.0 %

Bloomin' Brands stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $7.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,315,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,809,463. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Bloomin' Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $7.18 and a 12-month high of $29.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.94. The firm has a market cap of $617.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -65.86 and a beta of 2.04.

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.26%. Bloomin' Brands's payout ratio is currently -40.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America downgraded Bloomin' Brands from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Bloomin' Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays set a $11.00 price objective on Bloomin' Brands and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bloomin' Brands news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

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.