Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) Trading Down 7.8% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLMN) fell 7.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $5.93 and last traded at $5.9650. 321,095 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 2,246,638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.47.

Bloomin’ Brands News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Bloomin’ Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS modestly beat consensus ($0.26 vs. $0.25), which supports near‑term earnings credibility and was cited as a reason for early buying interest. Zacks: Q4 Earnings Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company says Outback Steakhouse posted its first quarter of positive traffic in four years and management highlighted turnaround progress — a meaningful operational datapoint if sustained. WSJ: Narrower Loss, Turnaround Efforts
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 FY2026 guidance (EPS $0.570–0.620) was set above Street estimates, which can support near‑term sentiment if guidance execution is validated. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was essentially flat (+0.3% year‑over‑year), signaling stabilization but limited near‑term top‑line upside. Business Wire: Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released its conference call, press release and slide deck for investors to assess details — useful but not immediately market‑moving on its own. Conference Call / Slides
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 guidance ($0.750–0.900) was centered roughly around Street estimates but the range and midpoint leave room for disappointment vs. the consensus of $0.83; investors may view this as cautious. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: EPS declined year‑over‑year (from $0.38 to $0.26) and the company still shows a negative net margin — fundamentals that keep longer‑term skepticism among some investors. MSN/News Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analyst coverage highlighted ongoing concerns that the turnaround may not be enough yet (seeking alpha piece), which can pressure sentiment. Seeking Alpha: Just Not Good Enough
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data appears to contain a data glitch (zero shares / NaN change) and should be treated as unreliable until corrected.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BLMN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Bloomin’ Brands from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Loop Capital set a $10.00 price target on shares of Bloomin’ Brands in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Bloomin’ Brands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. 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 one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $8.64.

Bloomin’ Brands Trading Down 2.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $6.74 and its 200 day moving average is $6.94. The stock has a market cap of $486.61 million, a PE ratio of -8.52 and a beta of 1.15.

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. Bloomin’ Brands had a negative net margin of 1.46% and a positive return on equity of 33.92%. The business’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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. As a group, analysts predict that Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLMN. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Bloomin’ Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $195,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Bloomin’ Brands by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,368,340 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $8,443,000 after acquiring an additional 123,566 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Bloomin’ Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,147,000. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its stake in Bloomin’ Brands by 116.6% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 40,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 21,843 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Bloomin’ Brands by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 275,991 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,703,000 after buying an additional 78,055 shares during the last quarter.

About Bloomin’ Brands

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.