Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) Short Interest Down 17.9% in March

Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,302,053 shares, a drop of 17.9% from the March 15th total of 8,895,649 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,662,561 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 8.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Bloomin’ Brands from $6.75 to $7.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Bloomin’ Brands in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.44.

Bloomin’ Brands Trading Up 5.2%

Shares of BLMN opened at $6.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $6.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.63. The stock has a market cap of $573.60 million, a PE ratio of 67.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.12. Bloomin’ Brands has a 12 month low of $5.19 and a 12 month high of $10.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $975.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $980.64 million. Bloomin’ Brands had a return on equity of 26.26% and a net margin of 0.21%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. Bloomin’ Brands has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.570-0.620 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Bloomin’ Brands will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Rohit Lal bought 10,000 shares of Bloomin’ Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.69 per share, for a total transaction of $56,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 30,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $171,587.64. The trade was a 49.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 83,825.0% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,353 shares in the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,431 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 50.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,221 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 2,099 shares in the last quarter.

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.