Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 150,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Bloomin’ Brands were worth $1,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Bloomin’ Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $41,325,000. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 34.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,381,150 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $22,830,000 after purchasing an additional 356,456 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 58.3% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 691,585 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $11,432,000 after purchasing an additional 254,570 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $2,882,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 43.3% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 720,403 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,908,000 after purchasing an additional 217,832 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Bloomin’ Brands

In other Bloomin’ Brands news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total value of $79,497.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Bloomin’ Brands Trading Down 8.0 %

NASDAQ BLMN opened at $7.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.37 and a 1-year high of $29.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.98. The company has a market capitalization of $629.34 million, a PE ratio of -67.36 and a beta of 2.04.

Bloomin’ Brands Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -40.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on BLMN. Bank of America downgraded Bloomin’ Brands from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bloomin’ Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Bloomin’ Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays set a $11.00 target price on shares of Bloomin’ Brands and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.50.

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.