William Blair Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,649,084 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,525 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.94% of Bloomin’ Brands worth $20,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 79.1% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,371 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 4,198 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Bloomin’ Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $140,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 63,457.9% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Fruth Investment Management purchased a new stake in Bloomin’ Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $152,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays set a $11.00 price target on Bloomin’ Brands and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com raised Bloomin’ Brands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Patrick M. Hafner sold 9,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.32, for a total value of $79,497.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bloomin’ Brands Price Performance

Shares of Bloomin’ Brands stock opened at $7.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.46, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.01 and its 200 day moving average is $13.44. The stock has a market cap of $669.26 million, a P/E ratio of -71.63 and a beta of 2.04. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $7.75 and a one year high of $29.10.

Bloomin’ Brands Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.61%. Bloomin’ Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently -40.27%.

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.