Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Stock Price Up 5.7% – Still a Buy?

Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) rose 5.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $7.30 and last traded at $7.1950. Approximately 390,073 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 2,485,538 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.81.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital set a $10.00 price target on Bloomin’ Brands in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Bloomin’ Brands in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Bloomin’ Brands from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Bloomin’ Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $9.19.

Bloomin’ Brands Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $7.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.73. The firm has a market cap of $602.93 million, a P/E ratio of -10.62 and a beta of 1.14.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The restaurant operator reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $928.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $905.59 million. Bloomin’ Brands had a negative net margin of 1.46% and a positive return on equity of 33.92%. Bloomin’ Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.21 earnings per share. Bloomin’ Brands has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.100-1.150 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.230-0.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. will post 1.8 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bloomin’ Brands news, EVP Eric C. Christel bought 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.38 per share, for a total transaction of $957,000.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $957,000. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 4,256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.41, for a total transaction of $27,280.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,280. This represents a 34.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bloomin’ Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 83,825.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,353 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 32.9% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 4,704 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 72.9% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,743 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 505.7% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,239 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 5,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 178.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 10,378 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 6,646 shares during the period.

About Bloomin’ Brands

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.