Bloomin Brands Inc
Latest Bloomin Brands Inc News and Updates

Darden analysis: Assessing the success of a Darden brand spinoff
Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) has jumped since the Wall Street Journal mentioned that Barington Capital Group took a 2.8% stake, calling on Darden to split in two.

Texas Roadhouse’s 1Q16 EPS Was below Analyst’s Expectations?
In 1Q16, Texas Roadhouse posted EPS of $0.5. This was lower than analysts’ estimate of $0.54. The adjusted EPS was above analysts’ estimate at $0.55.

Syria strike would raise gas prices and reduce restaurants’ sales
Why higher gasoline prices can reduce people’s leftover spending at restaurants, which will negatively affect restaurant sales.

Bloomin’ Brands Has 3 Key Costs of Operation
Bloomin’ Brands’ revenue was affected by as much as 0.7% due to price increases for beef and seafood. A restaurant can do little when facing rising prices
Bloomin’ Brands loses to its peers in year-to-date returns
As of September 20, 2014, year-to-date (or YTD) returns for Bloomin’ Brands (BLMN) was -30.7%.
Bloomin’ Brands’ year-to-date return as of 3Q14
As of November 2014, Bloomin’ Brands’ (BLMN) year-to-date (or YTD) return was -7.6%. BLMN operates casual dining restaurants. It competes with companies like EAT and TXRH.

Casual Dining Restaurants: Their 6-Month Stock Performance
It was a tough 4Q15 for casual dining restaurants, as the minimum wage for workers went up. In this series, we’ll look at what caused these stocks to underperform in 4Q15 and most of 1Q16.

Must-Know: McDonald’s Has Got Tough Competition
McDonald’s (MCD) competition includes large international and national food chains as well as regional and local retailers of food products.
What are casual-dining restaurants?
Casual-dining restaurants Casual-dining restaurants have a relaxed, casual ambiance with a lot of seating. They offer full table service and may also have a wine menu or full bar service. The menu is higher-priced than fast-food restaurants. Olive Garden, under the umbrella of Darden Restaurants (DRI), for example, has a price range of $10 to $20 for […]

71% Of Restaurant Operators Reported Positive Same-Store Sales
The NRA’s Current Situation Index for same-store sales stood at 105.2 in December 2014—compared to 103.5 in November.
Why the Restaurant Performance Index is important
The Current Situations Index is based on indicators’ past trends—same-store sales, traffic, capital expenditure, and labor. It has been at levels above 100 since March 2014.

Current Same-Store Sales Rise For Restaurants
According to the NRA (National Restaurant Association), 72% of operators reported a gain in same-store sales over this period, and 11% reported a decline.

Darden analysis: Darden must increase or decrease average check
The eroding middle market Darden’s core brands—Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and LongHorn Steakhouse—face a macro shift in an ever-widening spread in US average income. The graph below shows the difference in household income between the second highest 20% and the second lowest 20% income earnings. The difference is divided by the average income of the […]
Point72 Asset Management opens new position in Pier 1 Imports
E-commerce represented approximately 1% of total sales in fiscal 2013, 4% in fiscal year 2014, 9% in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, and 9.7% in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.

Point72 Asset Management raises stake in Lumber Liquidators
The company “saw improvement in net sales trends over the course of the quarter as inventory levels recovered and the fall flooring season began.” But the shares are down 49% in the year to date.

Point72 Asset Management takes position in CymaBay Therapeutics
CymaBay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company formerly known as Metabolex. It develops therapies to treat metabolic and rare diseases with high unmet need.

Point72 Asset Management adds position in Applied Genetic Tech
Using the company’s partnerships and experience in ophthalmology, it plans to expand into a disease indication with a larger market. The company says it expects to place a new product candidate for this large market opportunity into development some time in 2015.

Darden analysis: Business overview shows limited differentiation
Restaurant industry breakdown The first thing investors should do before making an investment is understand the company’s industry, business, and strategy. We can broadly break the restaurant industry down into the limited-service and full-service sectors. Full-service restaurants are establishments where customers receive their meals at their table, receive table waiting services, and generally pay at […]
Why did Darden CEO Clarence Otis step down?
Darden announced at the end of July that chairman and CEO Clarence Otis will step down by the end of the year or when a replacement is found. Starboard CEO Jeffrey Smith said in a statement that Otis’ retirement was long overdue and that “It’s surprising to us that it took this long.”
Why Starboard Value launches proxy fight at Darden
Starboard said it believed that the market price of Darden significantly understated the value of the company’s businesses and real estate assets. It added that its operating margins were well below its peers.

Deutsche Bank Starts Bloomin’ Brands Coverage with ‘Buy’ Rating
Today, Deutsche Bank initiated coverage of Bloomin’ Brands (BLMN) with a “buy” rating and a 12-month price target of $24.

Darden’s Q3 2019 EPS Beat Analysts’ Estimates
In the third quarter of fiscal 2019, Darden Restaurants (DRI) posted adjusted EPS of $1.80, outperforming analysts’ EPS expectation of $1.75.

Darden Stock Rises Nearly 7% on Impressive Q3 2019 Results
Darden Restaurants (DRI) posted its results for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 on March 21.

Darden Stock Rose after Its Q3 Earnings
At 9:45 AM EST on March 21, Darden was trading at $114.56, which represents a rise of 5.5% from the previous day’s closing price.

How Is Darden Restaurants Expanding Its Business?
At the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2019, Darden Restaurants (DRI) operated 1,762 restaurants.

Darden Stock Rises after Management Raises Its EPS Guidance
Darden Restaurants (DRI) posted its earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 on December 18.

Why Did SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Upgrade Darden?
On June 7, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey upgraded Darden Restaurants (DRI) from “hold” to “buy” and raised its price target from $104 to $110.

Why Darden’s Stock Price Fell after Its Fiscal 3Q18 Earnings
Darden Restaurants (DRI) posted its fiscal 3Q18 earnings before the market opened on March 22.

Here’s What Drove Darden Restaurants’ Earnings in Fiscal 1Q18
In fiscal 1Q18, Darden Restaurants (DRI) posted EPS (earnings per share) of $0.95. However, removing one-time expenses, its adjusted EPS was $0.99.

Darden’s Valuation Multiple Compared to Its Peers
Investors expect the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in Texas and Florida to lower Darden’s sales in fiscal 1Q18.

Darden Stock Hits New 52-Week High on Strong 4Q17 Earnings
In fiscal 4Q17, Darden posted adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of $1.18 on revenues of $1.9 billion.

How Darden’s Valuation Multiple Compares with Peers
On June 21, 2017, Darden was trading at a PE multiple of 20x, as compared to 17.8x before the announcement of its fiscal 3Q17 earnings.

What Analysts Recommend for DRI ahead of Its Fiscal 1Q17 Earnings
As of September 27, 2016, Darden Restaurants was trading at $61.5. This price may already have priced in the estimates we’ve discussed in this series.

Darden’s Dividend Policy: What’s Expected in Fiscal 1Q17?
Analysts expect Darden to pay dividends of $0.55 in fiscal 1Q17 at a payout ratio of 67.1%. For fiscal 2017, Darden is expected to pay dividends of $2.2.

What Do Analysts Expect of Darden’s Earnings in Fiscal 1Q17?
Darden has beaten analysts’ earnings per share estimates in the last four quarters. Usually, when earnings beat analysts’ estimates, a share’s price rises.

Why Analysts Expect DRI to Post Positive Same-Store Sales Growth
Analysts are expecting Darden Restaurants (DRI) to post systemwide same-store sales growth of 1.6% in fiscal 1Q17 compared to 3.4% in fiscal 1Q16.

Texas Roadhouse Stock Slid 12% on Slowing Same-Store Sales Growth
Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) reported its 2Q16 results on August 1 after the Market closed. TXRH posted revenue of $508.8 million and adjusted earnings per share of $0.47.

Why Did Darden Restaurants’ Earnings Margin Rise in Fiscal 4Q16?
In fiscal 4Q16, Darden Restaurants (DRI) reported an EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) margin of 10.3% compared with 10.1% in fiscal 4Q15.

What Drove Darden’s Same-Store Sales Growth in Fiscal 4Q16?
On a comparable calendar basis, in fiscal 4Q16, Darden Restaurants (DRI) reported overall same-store sales growth of 2.6% against analysts’ estimate of 2.8%.

Darden Restaurants Updates Guidance after Fiscal 4Q16 Earnings
After fiscal 4Q16 results, Darden Restaurants’ (DRI) management has revised its same-store sales growth guidance for fiscal 2017 to the range of 1%–2% as compared to earlier estimates of 1%–3%.

Analysts Expect No Rise in Darden’s Fiscal 4Q16 Dividends
Darden Restaurants (DRI) paid dividends of $0.55 per share in first two quarters of its fiscal 2016, and in fiscal 3Q16 it paid a dividend of $0.53.

What Do Analysts Expect of Darden’s Earnings in Fiscal 4Q16?
Having discussed Darden’s estimated revenue, sources of revenue, and estimated EBIT margins, let’s now discuss analysts’ and management’s guidance.

How Cheesecake Factory Came Out Ahead in 1Q16 EPS Growth
With EPS growth of 21.4%, The Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) beat our other four companies in 1Q16. EPS growth was driven mainly by share repurchases of more than $100 million.

Casual Dining Restaurant with the Highest 1Q16 Earnings Margin
In 1Q16, only one of the five casual dining restaurant companies in our series posted a rise in EBIT margins compared to 1Q15.

Which Casual Dining Restaurant Is Best at Expanding Its Business?
To have more control and implement their initiatives faster, casual dining restaurants are focused more on adding company-owned restaurants than franchised restaurants.

Texas Roadhouse: Same-Store Growth Beats Other Casual Restaurants
Casual dining restaurants didn’t have a good 1Q16. The five companies in our series posted a median same-store sales growth of -1.5% compared to 4.2% in 1Q15.

Buffalo Wild Wings: Revenue Growth Tops Casual Dining Restaurants
Revenue growth drives earnings and, in turn, raises investor confidence. In 1Q16, casual dining restaurant companies in our series posted a median revenue growth of 6.9%.

What Do Analysts Recommend for Texas Roadhouse?
The rise in EPS estimates for the next four quarters has prompted analysts to increase their price target for TXRH for the next 12 months to $45.1 from their earlier estimate of $44.8.

The Cheesecake Factory Is Not Just about Desserts
The Cheesecake Factory has positioned itself as an upscale casual dining concept that focuses on providing a distinctive, high-quality dining experience.

What’s Really Driving Buffalo Wild Wings’ Revenues?
From 2011 to 2015, Buffalo Wild Wings’ (BWLD) revenues increased from $784 million to $1.8 billion—a rise of over 131%.

Inside Buffalo Wild Wings’ Marketing Strategies
Buffalo Wild Wings is competing in the highly competitive restaurant business, wherein innovation is a must to keep up with the changing needs of customers.

What You Should Know about Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings is a casual dining restaurant and sports bar headquartered in Minneapolis. Founded in 1982, the company is also known as BW3.

New Stores Boost Cracker Barrel’s Revenue
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) has a market cap of $3.49 billion. Its YTD performance was stable. It was in a trading range until the earnings report.

The ADP Employment Report and Its Influence on Restaurant Stocks
The ADP employment report tracks 23 million US employees across 400,000 businesses in the US. The report only takes into account private payrolls.

Yum! Brands’ Same-Store Sales Growth was Negative in China
China’s same-store sales growth was -12% in 1Q15—compared to 9% growth a year ago. This directly impacted the division’s revenue growth. It fell 8.9% YoY.

Why Unit Growth is Critical for Brinker International
Brinker International’s 2014 unit growth included opening ten Chill’s in the United States. Two were opened by franchise.

Average Checks at Chili’s and Maggiano’s – Why Do They Matter?
The average check at Chili’s in 2014 was $14.31, lower than its main peers. Maggiano’s average check was $26.72, the highest among its peers.

Bloomin’ Brands Restaurants Have an International Reach
Bloomin’ Brands International segment contributed about 13% of total 2014 revenue, including all company-owned and franchise restaurants outside the US.

Darden: New LongHorn Steakhouse Units Pass Olive Garden
With ~80% of revenues coming from Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, Darden focuses heavily on expanding the restaurant units of these two brands.

Profile: Bloomin’ Brand’s Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is a full-service “upscale” casual dining restaurant, according to the company.

Why Bloomin’ Brands is Focusing on Bonefish Grill
Bonefish Grill is the third most important brand for Bloomin’ Brands (BLMN), contributing 14% of the company’s revenue.

Bloomin’ Brands’ Second-Biggest Brand: Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Like Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill is also a full-service casual restaurant, but it primarily serves Italian cuisine.

Why Outback Steakhouse is Bloomin’ Brands’ Most Important Concept
Outback Steakhouse is a full-service casual restaurant primarily serving steaks. The ambiance is set up to match “Australian décor.”

Bloomin’ Brands Increases Menu Prices 3 Years in a Row
A restaurant must be cautious when raising its menu prices, as this may lead to losing price-sensitive customers. But price increases aren’t uncommon.

Investin’ in Bloomin’ Brands: A Key Business Overview
In this series, you’ll learn about Bloomin’ Brands’ financial performance, revenue, competition, latest earnings, and stock performance over the years.

Olive Garden: Darden’s Most Important Brand
In 2014, Olive Garden contributed about 58% to Darden’s revenues as of fiscal 2014. Olive Garden gained importance after Darden sold Red Lobster in 2014.

A Look into Darden’s Revenue Trend
About 58% of Darden’s fiscal 2014 revenue came from Olive Garden, followed by 22% from LongHorn Steakhouse, and ~20% from Specialty Restaurant Group.

Current Situation And Expectations Indices Show Positive Trends
The Current Situation Index suggests that the industry is healthy. Restaurants have been incurring capital expenditures to advance their operations.

Why Yum! Brands’ Revenue Is Expected To Decline
Yum! Brands (YUM) earns revenue from the company-operated and franchise stores. Wall Street analysts estimate $3,943 million in revenue.

Wendy’s Revenue May Come In Lower Year-Over-Year
Wall Street analysts estimate $506 million for Wendy’s revenues, which sequentially is 1% down from 3Q14 revenues of $512.5 million and a 14% decline.

Brinker International’s Food Costs Could Moderate
The prices of poultry, meat, dairy, seafood, and produce remained stable in November and December. So EAT may report moderated food costs.

McDonald’s – Management’s Initiatives During 4Q14
McDonald’s (MCD) has been struggling to grow its revenue. To turn the situation around, management noted specific initiatives.

Why restaurants are targeting Millennials
As the Millenial Generation enters the labor force and gets jobs and increased purchasing power, they are highly critical of the restaurant industry.

Pivotal Government Regulations That Affect Texas Roadhouse
In addition to the factors we’ve discussed, regulations can also affect the company’s profits. Let’s look at some of the regulations that apply to TXRH.

Analyzing Texas Roadhouse’s Profitability And 2 Key Expenses
Between operating income and net income, the company incurs two expenses that affect its profitability: income tax expense and interest expense.

Why Texas Roadhouse Increased Its Menu Prices
The company increased its menu prices by 1.5% in early December of 2013, and in 2012, it increased menu prices by 2.2%.

Texas Roadhouse’s Revenues From Franchise Royalties And Fees
We saw Texas Roadhouse’s (TXRH) revenues and year-over-year revenue growth. A fraction of those revenues comes from royalties and fees from franchises.

A Closer Look At Texas Roadhouse’s Steak-Focused Menu
In the last part of this series, we briefly covered Texas Roadhouse’s (TXRH) steak-focused menu. Let’s look at it in more detail in this article.

A Must-Read Business Overview Of Texas Roadhouse
In this overview of Texas Roadhouse, we’ll look at the company’s financial performance, value drivers, competition, unit growth, and other key information.

Why Darden core brands may not bring in more $100,000 customers
With the exception of Red Lobster, the company noted that it has been successful at increasing relevance to these more financially secure and younger consumers.

Darden analysis: Advertising drives higher operating expenses
High advertising expenses Darden’s high advertising expenses as a percent of sales support the view that the company isn’t ready to switch to a much lower average check and higher guest traffic. Barington Capital Group did mention Darden’s high SG&A (selling, general, and administrative) expenses were a cost category the company could work on cutting. […]

Darden analysis: Why revenue per square foot is essential
Average revenue per square foot To get a better picture of Darden’s business, we further looked into casual dining restaurants’ average revenue per square foot—the square feet of restaurants across primarily the United States and their guest traffic. This will help us decide whether Darden’s Olive Garden and Red Lobster brands should pick up a […]