Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Stock Price

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) had its price objective lifted by investment analysts at Citigroup from $6.75 to $9.50 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 19.50% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on BLMN. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.00 price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their target price on Bloomin’ Brands from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price target on Bloomin’ Brands in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Bloomin’ Brands from $6.00 to $8.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Bloomin’ Brands from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $6.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bloomin’ Brands currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.78.

Bloomin’ Brands Price Performance

Bloomin’ Brands stock traded down $0.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $7.95. The company had a trading volume of 4,646,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,761,377. The firm has a market capitalization of $677.56 million, a PE ratio of 79.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.31. Bloomin’ Brands has a 1-year low of $5.19 and a 1-year high of $10.70.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.04 billion. Bloomin’ Brands had a net margin of 0.21% and a return on equity of 26.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that Bloomin’ Brands will post 0.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bloomin’ Brands news, Director Rohit Lal purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.69 per share, with a total value of $56,900.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 30,156 shares in the company, valued at approximately $171,587.64. This trade represents a 49.61% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bloomin’ Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BLMN. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Bloomin’ Brands by 123.1% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,299,778 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,489,000 after buying an additional 1,268,988 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 115.9% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,064,940 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,741,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108,500 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 84.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,208,122 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,924,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013,953 shares during the period. Broad Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,031,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 371.5% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,057,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,523,000 after acquiring an additional 832,982 shares during the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Bloomin’ Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Bloomin’ Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Bloomin’ reported $0.67 EPS vs. consensus $0.57 and revenue of $1.06B vs. ~$1.04B, driven by improving Outback performance and higher guest spend. BusinessWire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised near-term guidance — management boosted Q2 EPS guidance to $0.27–$0.32 (above the prior consensus ~ $0.22) and set FY26 EPS at $0.75–$0.90, signaling improving operational momentum. Q1 Release / Slide Deck
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $9 (from $7) and kept an “equal weight” rating, implying upside and providing third‑party validation of the post‑earnings momentum. Benzinga: Barclays PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes a sharp intraday move after results — several outlets flagged BLMN among movers as the stock spiked on the beat-and-guide print. This explains elevated volume but not longer-term direction. Benzinga: What’s Going On
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and subscriber pieces dig into the rally vs. fundamentals — commentary (Seeking Alpha) calls the stock’s recent jump notable but emphasizes that longer-term performance still lags peers. Seeking Alpha: Stock Explodes Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying metrics remain mixed — net margin was only ~0.2% and revenue grew ~1% YoY in Q1, suggesting limited near-term profit leverage; higher leverage and thin current liquidity are potential investor concerns. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Negative Sentiment: FY26 guidance range ($0.75–$0.90) sits around consensus but isn’t a clear upside surprise — some investors may view the full‑year outlook as conservative relative to the Q2 beat. Zacks: Q1 Metrics

Bloomin’ Brands Company Profile

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.