Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $6.00 to $8.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands in a report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Bloomin’ Brands from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $6.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $6.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bloomin’ Brands presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.78.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BLMN opened at $7.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $622.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.08, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.68. Bloomin’ Brands has a twelve month low of $5.19 and a twelve month high of $10.70.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. Bloomin’ Brands had a net margin of 0.55% and a return on equity of 28.00%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. Bloomin’ Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.270-0.320 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bloomin’ Brands will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bloomin’ Brands

In related news, Director Rohit Lal bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $5.69 per share, with a total value of $56,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $171,587.64. This trade represents a 49.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bloomin’ Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 35.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 157,826 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 41,275 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 150.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 690,137 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,727,000 after buying an additional 414,146 shares during the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $101,000. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,576,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $84,000.

About Bloomin’ Brands

Bloomin’ Brands, Inc engages in the ownership, operation and franchising of casual dining restaurants worldwide. The company’s portfolio includes five full-service restaurant chains: Outback Steakhouse, known for its Australian-inspired steakhouse concept; Carrabba’s Italian Grill, offering Italian-American cuisine; Bonefish Grill, specializing in handcrafted seafood dishes; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, focusing on premium steak and wine experiences; and Aussie Grill by Outback, featuring a streamlined menu of signature items.