XTX Topco Ltd Acquires New Stake in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 18,961 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $136,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 28.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,304 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,414 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Bloomin’ Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 99.5% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,319 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 5,146 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 27.4% in the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 25,805 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 5,553 shares during the period. Finally, FORA Capital LLC grew its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 42.8% during the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 20,165 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 6,040 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on BLMN shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $13.00 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Bloomin’ Brands from $8.00 to $6.50 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.00.

Bloomin’ Brands Trading Up 1.7%

NASDAQ:BLMN opened at $7.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $617.59 million, a PE ratio of -145.20 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $8.94 and its 200 day moving average is $8.90. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.09 and a 12 month high of $18.72.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $974.69 million. Bloomin’ Brands had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 44.03%. Bloomin’ Brands’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Bloomin’ Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 19th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 19th. Bloomin’ Brands’s payout ratio is currently -1,200.00%.

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.