WINTON GROUP Ltd Purchases 49,081 Shares of Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN - Free Report) by 120.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 89,662 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 49,081 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned about 0.11% of Bloomin' Brands worth $1,095,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $79,497.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Bloomin' Brands Price Performance

Shares of BLMN traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $7.69. 489,413 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,823,301. Bloomin' Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.08 and a 52-week high of $29.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46. The company has a market cap of $652.69 million, a P/E ratio of -69.86 and a beta of 2.04. The company's 50-day moving average price is $10.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.81.

Bloomin' Brands Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.81%. Bloomin' Brands's dividend payout ratio is presently -40.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BLMN. StockNews.com raised Bloomin' Brands from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Bloomin' Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America cut shares of Bloomin' Brands from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Bloomin' Brands from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.50.

Bloomin' Brands 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.