Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

BLMN has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $26.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $26.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.80.

Bloomin' Brands Price Performance

Shares of BLMN stock remained flat at $16.71 during trading hours on Tuesday. The stock had a trading volume of 998,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,447,346. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $16.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.46. The firm has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.34 and a beta of 2.04. Bloomin' Brands has a 12 month low of $15.14 and a 12 month high of $30.13.

Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Bloomin' Brands had a return on equity of 61.90% and a net margin of 0.70%. Bloomin' Brands's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Bloomin' Brands will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bloomin' Brands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Bloomin' Brands by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,553,719 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $49,105,000 after buying an additional 16,878 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 29.6% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,492,119 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,923,000 after purchasing an additional 569,855 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 0.3% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,381,235 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $45,791,000 after purchasing an additional 6,107 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. bought a new position in Bloomin' Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,672,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Bloomin' Brands by 3.8% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,125,008 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $32,267,000 after purchasing an additional 41,128 shares in the last quarter.

About Bloomin' Brands

Bloomin' Brands, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates casual, upscale casual, and fine dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, U.S. and International. Its restaurant portfolio has four concepts, including Outback Steakhouse, a casual steakhouse restaurant; Carrabba's Italian Grill, a casual Italian restaurant; Bonefish Grill; and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, a contemporary steakhouse.