Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 205,249 Shares of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Free Report) by 22.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 712,514 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 205,249 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.84% of Bloomin' Brands worth $8,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BLMN. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $21,873,000 after buying an additional 1,522,370 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Bloomin' Brands by 385.6% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,817,145 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $22,187,000 after acquiring an additional 1,442,964 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Bloomin' Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,289,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted 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 worth $5,556,000 after purchasing an additional 405,003 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Bloomin' Brands by 40.6% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 1,024,543 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $12,510,000 after buying an additional 295,641 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BLMN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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, Bank of America lowered shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bloomin' Brands news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of Bloomin' Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total value of $79,497.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Bloomin' Brands Trading Up 5.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ BLMN traded up $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $7.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,307,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,926,633. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $8.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.96. Bloomin' Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $6.09 and a one year high of $27.33. The stock has a market cap of $675.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -72.27 and a beta of 1.76. 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 Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Bloomin' Brands's payout ratio is presently -40.27%.

Bloomin' Brands Company Profile

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.