Latest news with #Australian-themed
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Q1 Earnings Outperformers: Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) And The Rest Of The Sit-Down Dining Stocks
Let's dig into the relative performance of Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q1 sit-down dining earnings season. Sit-down restaurants offer a complete dining experience with table service. These establishments span various cuisines and are renowned for their warm hospitality and welcoming ambiance, making them perfect for family gatherings, special occasions, or simply unwinding. Their extensive menus range from appetizers to indulgent desserts and wines and cocktails. This space is extremely fragmented and competition includes everything from publicly-traded companies owning multiple chains to single-location mom-and-pop restaurants. The 11 sit-down dining stocks we track reported a mixed Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts' consensus estimates by 0.7% while next quarter's revenue guidance was 2.3% below. Luckily, sit-down dining stocks have performed well with share prices up 19.1% on average since the latest earnings results. Owner of the iconic Australian-themed Outback Steakhouse, Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) is a leading American restaurant company that owns and operates a portfolio of popular restaurant brands. Bloomin' Brands reported revenues of $1.05 billion, down 12.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts' expectations by 1.2%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts' expectations significantly and a miss of analysts' EBITDA estimates. Bloomin' Brands delivered the slowest revenue growth of the whole group. Interestingly, the stock is up 14.6% since reporting and currently trades at $9.08. Read our full report on Bloomin' Brands here, it's free. Founded by Norman Brinker in Dallas, Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) is a casual restaurant chain that operates the Chili's, Maggiano's Little Italy, and It's Just Wings banners. Brinker International reported revenues of $1.43 billion, up 27.2% year on year, outperforming analysts' expectations by 2.6%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts' same-store sales estimates. Brinker International scored the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 7.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $148.64. Is now the time to buy Brinker International? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Based on a nautical reference to the first work shift aboard a ship, First Watch (NASDAQ:FWRG) is a chain of breakfast and brunch restaurants whose menu is heavily-focused on eggs and griddle items such as pancakes. First Watch reported revenues of $282.2 million, up 16.4% year on year, in line with analysts' expectations. It was a softer quarter as it posted full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts' expectations. As expected, the stock is down 8.3% since the results and currently trades at $17.05. Read our full analysis of First Watch's results here. Known for its conveyor belt that transports dishes to diners, Kura Sushi (NASDAQ:KRUS) is a chain of sushi restaurants serving traditional Japanese fare with a touch of modernity and technology. Kura Sushi reported revenues of $64.89 million, up 13.3% year on year. This number met analysts' expectations. More broadly, it was a slower quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts' EBITDA estimates and a miss of analysts' same-store sales estimates. Kura Sushi had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is up 70.3% since reporting and currently trades at $70.44. Read our full, actionable report on Kura Sushi here, it's free. Founded in 1978 in California, BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) is a chain of restaurants whose menu features classic American dishes, often with a twist. BJ's reported revenues of $348 million, up 3.2% year on year. This result was in line with analysts' expectations. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts' EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates. The stock is up 33.9% since reporting and currently trades at $44.82. Read our full, actionable report on BJ's here, it's free. Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Join Paid Stock Investor Research Help us make StockStory more helpful to investors like yourself. Join our paid user research session and receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your opinions. Sign up here.
Sydney Morning Herald
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Relative calm as thousands turn out to vote in Sydney's marginal seats
On Friday, acting Australian electoral commissioner Jeff Pope spoke on RN Breakfast to say Wentworth was among Sydney electorates where police had been called to deal with incidents of bad behaviour. Knox said she'd experienced first-hand the heightened aggression particular to this election. 'The teals in particular have been very, very aggressive during this campaign,' she said. 'Personally, I've experienced some relatively poor behaviour from some of the volunteers, definitely not from Allegra Spender though, she's [maintained] high integrity throughout the campaign.' Later in the morning, Spender cast her vote seaside at the Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club. Choosing not to comment on Knox's specific claims about some teals' behaviour, Spender reiterated more generally the need to act cordially. 'To be honest what I try and say and what I've been trying to say to everybody is that people can have different views but in this country we need to disagree well ... it doesn't matter who you're voting for, it doesn't matter what your views are. Let's engage constructively,' she said. There to meet Spender in the queue was 46-year-old filmmaker Daniel Reisinger. 'I think like a lot of people in this electorate, [I'm] just kind of sick of what the Liberal Party's been doing. It's gotten to a point of madness, denying climate change ... I was bitterly disappointed with what happened with the [Voice] referendum, and I think a lot of people are angry and not over that.' Joining the line after a swim in her recently purchased Australian-themed swimsuit, adorned with thongs, barbecues and tiny sausages, Olivia Ford, 27, took a bite out of her first-ever democracy sausage since moving to Australia from the UK. Her verdict: it 'tastes like democracy', she said. South-west Sydney South-west Sydney is considered 'Labor heartland'. Aside from the seat of Fowler at the last election, Watson and Blaxland have only ever been held by Labor. In the seven polling stations the Herald visited on Saturday, there were no food stands, barbecues or community-run stalls. Instead, voters (many from Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam, Syria and China) were there to exercise their right to vote in a democracy. Labor's Education Minister Jason Clare said the war in Gaza was a major concern to his constituents in his seat of Blaxland, with a third of his electorate identifying as Muslim. Clare's challenger, independent Ahmed Ouf, deployed an intense grassroots campaign on local issues, aiming to pull disillusioned voters in a seat that had a safe Labor margin of 13 per cent. Saqr Anejdawi voted for Ouf and said his main concern was Gaza, but he was also desperate for a change in government to deliver local infrastructure. 'Labor has taken us for granted,' he said. 'Ahmed Ouf may not win but will show the big parties we have a vote, we will vote against you as a protest. We have the right as [the people voting for] Zali Steggall, Allegra Spender, to vote for our independents as well.' Cost of living was another big issue in south-west Sydney. '[The politicians] they're on top wages. They don't realise what the struggles the families are going through at the moment, middle- and low-income rental, people can't even get into their first home,' Nermine Serour said after voting at the Bankstown Senior Citizens Centre in Bankstown in the seat of Watson. Watson is safely held by Labor with a 15.2 per cent margin. She and Amalia Crossley made a protest vote against the main parties on Saturday after what they felt had been many 'false promises' from Labor by putting the majors last, and Greens and independents first. 'What about us? We're the people of the country, and the No. 1 thing is that we don't have enough housing to support families,' Crossley said. 'That's why I strongly voted towards the Greens.' Over in Fowler, Dai Le retains one of the tightest margins in the state of 1.1 per cent against Labor. 'We've got five cabinet ministers in the current government in western Sydney, five labor MPs … the people in western Sydney can tell you they've done nothing,' Le said. The Labor challenger is Tu Le, but Dai Le predicts 'a swing against Labor in western Sydney now, with other independents'. North shore In Bennelong – NSW's most marginal electorate, with an estimated margin of 0.04 per cent in favour of Liberal challenger Scott Yung over Labor incumbent Jerome Laxale – the Coalition candidate was out early to greet voters alongside an army of volunteers at Eastwood Public School. Loading Yung was seen switching between Mandarin and Cantonese as he moved down the lines speaking to voters from the Chinese community, a key voting bloc in the seat. Later, he was joined by former prime minister Tony Abbott, who dismissed multiple potentially damaging reports about Yung's campaign 'as a lot of beltway bubble stuff'. He said Yung and Dutton had done well to appeal 'to a broad cross-section of Australians', despite the slow shift away from the Liberal Party in the seat of former prime minister John Howard. Yung would not say if any of the volunteers present were members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren, which sent hundreds of its members to pre-polling booths in marginal seats while instructing them to keep secret that they were members of the controversial religion. 'I think it's in everyone's right to participate in Australia's democracy,' he said, before Yung's campaign staff ended his interview with this masthead. At Denistone East Public School, where Laxale went to vote and hand out preference cards to voters, the Labor member was equanimous about the possibility of losing the seat. 'We've never held on to Bennelong. History is not on our side, so we need to make history today, and we'll go right until six o'clock.' Asked whether reports earlier this week that his father, Alain, had made homophobic comments at a pre-polling station that had hurt his campaign in the crucial final stretch, Laxale said: 'We'll see what happens'. 'We've been really focusing on cost of living and housing locally here … my dad regrets what he said, and he's very apologetic, and we'll move on from that.' In neighbouring Bradfield, where Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian holds an estimated margin of 2.5 per cent over teal independent Nicolette Boele, polling places were quiet after record pre-polling. Kapterian declined to speak to the Herald but appeared upbeat, embracing and shaking voters' hands at Turramurra Public School. Boele cast her vote at her alma mater, Killara High School. Accompanied by her daughter and first-time voter Saskia, the teal candidate studied her preferences with the help of Herald photographer Steven Siewert's reading glasses. In 2022, Boele ran unsuccessfully against Liberal MP Paul Fletcher, who is stepping down. She refused to say if she would run again in 2028 if she lost to Kapterian. 'Can I answer that question after we see how we go tonight?' she said, laughing. Western Sydney Across the Parramatta electorate there was an air of politeness. At Parramatta West Public School, a volunteer for Blaxland Independent Ahmed Ouf was seen offering volunteers from all parties some food, while one Labor volunteer said he gave a Liberal supporter a 'leg up' to hoist a sign above the entrance. It comes despite Liberal signs being reportedly slashed and pulled down earlier in the morning at the same location. Over at Ermington West Public School, Liberal volunteers gave out handballs to voters, while Labor had their own collection of drink bottles, personalised with the face of Parramatta incumbent Andrew Charlton. Visiting the polling booth, Charlton, who voted early, appeared upbeat as he chatted to voters queuing up outside the school. He told the Herald he was 'feeling good' about the election and had already enjoyed a democracy sausage during an earlier visit to a polling booth. 'I went a little bit early if I'm honest, at 11.30am, so don't know what that means for the next meal, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it,' he said before heading to the barbecue for another one. Shortly after his arrival, two trucks branded with advertising for Liberal candidate Katie Mullins drove by, the drivers beeping their horns. The queue started early at Parramatta's Arthur Phillip High School, with Sebastian Gerard-Duhau, 28, saying he opted to cast his ballot the day of the election because sickness ruined his chances of an early vote. High school teacher Sonia Emily Hutchinson, 34, said she voted for the Greens and Labor. 'I always vote in regard to health and education because that's where me and my friends work … and sort of looking forward to the future of how we're going to be taken care of in this country. And then also on climate,' she said.
The Age
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Relative calm as thousands turn out to vote in Sydney's marginal seats
On Friday, acting Australian electoral commissioner Jeff Pope spoke on RN Breakfast to say Wentworth was among Sydney electorates where police had been called to deal with incidents of bad behaviour. Knox said she'd experienced first-hand the heightened aggression particular to this election. 'The teals in particular have been very, very aggressive during this campaign,' she said. 'Personally, I've experienced some relatively poor behaviour from some of the volunteers, definitely not from Allegra Spender though, she's [maintained] high integrity throughout the campaign.' Later in the morning, Spender cast her vote seaside at the Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club. Choosing not to comment on Knox's specific claims about some teals' behaviour, Spender reiterated more generally the need to act cordially. 'To be honest what I try and say and what I've been trying to say to everybody is that people can have different views but in this country we need to disagree well ... it doesn't matter who you're voting for, it doesn't matter what your views are. Let's engage constructively,' she said. There to meet Spender in the queue was 46-year-old filmmaker Daniel Reisinger. 'I think like a lot of people in this electorate, [I'm] just kind of sick of what the Liberal Party's been doing. It's gotten to a point of madness, denying climate change ... I was bitterly disappointed with what happened with the [Voice] referendum, and I think a lot of people are angry and not over that.' Joining the line after a swim in her recently purchased Australian-themed swimsuit, adorned with thongs, barbecues and tiny sausages, Olivia Ford, 27, took a bite out of her first-ever democracy sausage since moving to Australia from the UK. Her verdict: it 'tastes like democracy', she said. South-west Sydney South-west Sydney is considered 'Labor heartland'. Aside from the seat of Fowler at the last election, Watson and Blaxland have only ever been held by Labor. In the seven polling stations the Herald visited on Saturday, there were no food stands, barbecues or community-run stalls. Instead, voters (many from Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam, Syria and China) were there to exercise their right to vote in a democracy. Labor's Education Minister Jason Clare said the war in Gaza was a major concern to his constituents in his seat of Blaxland, with a third of his electorate identifying as Muslim. Clare's challenger, independent Ahmed Ouf, deployed an intense grassroots campaign on local issues, aiming to pull disillusioned voters in a seat that had a safe Labor margin of 13 per cent. Saqr Anejdawi voted for Ouf and said his main concern was Gaza, but he was also desperate for a change in government to deliver local infrastructure. 'Labor has taken us for granted,' he said. 'Ahmed Ouf may not win but will show the big parties we have a vote, we will vote against you as a protest. We have the right as [the people voting for] Zali Steggall, Allegra Spender, to vote for our independents as well.' Cost of living was another big issue in south-west Sydney. '[The politicians] they're on top wages. They don't realise what the struggles the families are going through at the moment, middle- and low-income rental, people can't even get into their first home,' Nermine Serour said after voting at the Bankstown Senior Citizens Centre in Bankstown in the seat of Watson. Watson is safely held by Labor with a 15.2 per cent margin. She and Amalia Crossley made a protest vote against the main parties on Saturday after what they felt had been many 'false promises' from Labor by putting the majors last, and Greens and independents first. 'What about us? We're the people of the country, and the No. 1 thing is that we don't have enough housing to support families,' Crossley said. 'That's why I strongly voted towards the Greens.' Over in Fowler, Dai Le retains one of the tightest margins in the state of 1.1 per cent against Labor. 'We've got five cabinet ministers in the current government in western Sydney, five labor MPs … the people in western Sydney can tell you they've done nothing,' Le said. The Labor challenger is Tu Le, but Dai Le predicts 'a swing against Labor in western Sydney now, with other independents'. North shore In Bennelong – NSW's most marginal electorate, with an estimated margin of 0.04 per cent in favour of Liberal challenger Scott Yung over Labor incumbent Jerome Laxale – the Coalition candidate was out early to greet voters alongside an army of volunteers at Eastwood Public School. Loading Yung was seen switching between Mandarin and Cantonese as he moved down the lines speaking to voters from the Chinese community, a key voting bloc in the seat. Later, he was joined by former prime minister Tony Abbott, who dismissed multiple potentially damaging reports about Yung's campaign 'as a lot of beltway bubble stuff'. He said Yung and Dutton had done well to appeal 'to a broad cross-section of Australians', despite the slow shift away from the Liberal Party in the seat of former prime minister John Howard. Yung would not say if any of the volunteers present were members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren, which sent hundreds of its members to pre-polling booths in marginal seats while instructing them to keep secret that they were members of the controversial religion. 'I think it's in everyone's right to participate in Australia's democracy,' he said, before Yung's campaign staff ended his interview with this masthead. At Denistone East Public School, where Laxale went to vote and hand out preference cards to voters, the Labor member was equanimous about the possibility of losing the seat. 'We've never held on to Bennelong. History is not on our side, so we need to make history today, and we'll go right until six o'clock.' Asked whether reports earlier this week that his father, Alain, had made homophobic comments at a pre-polling station that had hurt his campaign in the crucial final stretch, Laxale said: 'We'll see what happens'. 'We've been really focusing on cost of living and housing locally here … my dad regrets what he said, and he's very apologetic, and we'll move on from that.' In neighbouring Bradfield, where Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian holds an estimated margin of 2.5 per cent over teal independent Nicolette Boele, polling places were quiet after record pre-polling. Kapterian declined to speak to the Herald but appeared upbeat, embracing and shaking voters' hands at Turramurra Public School. Boele cast her vote at her alma mater, Killara High School. Accompanied by her daughter and first-time voter Saskia, the teal candidate studied her preferences with the help of Herald photographer Steven Siewert's reading glasses. In 2022, Boele ran unsuccessfully against Liberal MP Paul Fletcher, who is stepping down. She refused to say if she would run again in 2028 if she lost to Kapterian. 'Can I answer that question after we see how we go tonight?' she said, laughing. Western Sydney Across the Parramatta electorate there was an air of politeness. At Parramatta West Public School, a volunteer for Blaxland Independent Ahmed Ouf was seen offering volunteers from all parties some food, while one Labor volunteer said he gave a Liberal supporter a 'leg up' to hoist a sign above the entrance. It comes despite Liberal signs being reportedly slashed and pulled down earlier in the morning at the same location. Over at Ermington West Public School, Liberal volunteers gave out handballs to voters, while Labor had their own collection of drink bottles, personalised with the face of Parramatta incumbent Andrew Charlton. Visiting the polling booth, Charlton, who voted early, appeared upbeat as he chatted to voters queuing up outside the school. He told the Herald he was 'feeling good' about the election and had already enjoyed a democracy sausage during an earlier visit to a polling booth. 'I went a little bit early if I'm honest, at 11.30am, so don't know what that means for the next meal, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it,' he said before heading to the barbecue for another one. Shortly after his arrival, two trucks branded with advertising for Liberal candidate Katie Mullins drove by, the drivers beeping their horns. The queue started early at Parramatta's Arthur Phillip High School, with Sebastian Gerard-Duhau, 28, saying he opted to cast his ballot the day of the election because sickness ruined his chances of an early vote. High school teacher Sonia Emily Hutchinson, 34, said she voted for the Greens and Labor. 'I always vote in regard to health and education because that's where me and my friends work … and sort of looking forward to the future of how we're going to be taken care of in this country. And then also on climate,' she said.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Surging Stocks to Consider Right Now and 1 to Approach with Caution
Exciting developments are taking place for the stocks in this article. They've all surged ahead of the broader market over the last month as catalysts such as new products and positive media coverage have propelled their returns. However, not all companies with momentum are long-term winners, and many investors have lost money by following short-term trends. Keeping that in mind, here are two stocks with lasting competitive advantages and one that may correct. One-Month Return: +4.7% Owner of the iconic Australian-themed Outback Steakhouse, Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) is a leading American restaurant company that owns and operates a portfolio of popular restaurant brands. Why Is BLMN Risky? Disappointing same-store sales over the past two years show customers aren't responding well to its menu offerings and dining experience Costs have risen faster than its revenue over the last year, causing its operating margin to decline by 3.3 percentage points 5× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio makes lenders less willing to extend additional capital, potentially necessitating dilutive equity offerings Bloomin' Brands is trading at $8.05 per share, or 4.4x forward price-to-earnings. To fully understand why you should be careful with BLMN, check out our full research report (it's free). One-Month Return: +42.1% Started by Peter Thiel after seeing US defence agencies struggle in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, Palantir (NYSE:PLTR) offers software as a service platform that helps government agencies and large enterprises use data to make better decisions. Why Are We Backing PLTR? Billings growth has averaged 25.7% over the last year, indicating a healthy pipeline of new contracts that should drive future revenue increases Demand for the next 12 months is expected to accelerate above its three-year trend as Wall Street forecasts robust revenue growth of 30.8% Impressive free cash flow profitability enables the company to fund new investments or reward investors with share buybacks/dividends Palantir's stock price of $120.30 implies a valuation ratio of 79.9x forward price-to-sales. Is now the time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our in-depth research report, it's free. One-Month Return: +16.2% Founded to commercialize SIMSCRIPT, CACI International (NYSE:CACI) offers defense, intelligence, and IT solutions to support national security and government transformation efforts. Why Are We Positive On CACI? Average backlog growth of 13% over the past two years shows it has a steady sales pipeline that will drive future orders Sales outlook for the upcoming 12 months implies the business will stay on its desirable two-year growth trajectory Performance over the past two years was turbocharged by share buybacks, which enabled its earnings per share to grow faster than its revenue At $430 per share, CACI trades at 17.2x forward price-to-earnings. Is now the right time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it's free. The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like United Rentals (+322% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bloomin' Brands (BLMN): Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q4 Earnings?
Bloomin' Brands has gotten torched over the last six months - since October 2024, its stock price has dropped 54.5% to $7.66 per share. This was partly due to its softer quarterly results and might have investors contemplating their next move. Is there a buying opportunity in Bloomin' Brands, or does it present a risk to your portfolio? Get the full stock story straight from our expert analysts, it's free. Even with the cheaper entry price, we don't have much confidence in Bloomin' Brands. Here are three reasons why there are better opportunities than BLMN and a stock we'd rather own. Owner of the iconic Australian-themed Outback Steakhouse, Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) is a leading American restaurant company that owns and operates a portfolio of popular restaurant brands. Same-store sales show the change in sales at restaurants open for at least a year. This is a key performance indicator because it measures organic growth. Bloomin' Brands's demand within its existing dining locations has barely increased over the last two years as its same-store sales were flat. Operating margin is an important measure of profitability as it shows the portion of revenue left after accounting for all core expenses – everything from the cost of goods sold to advertising and wages. It's also useful for comparing profitability across companies with different levels of debt and tax rates because it excludes interest and taxes. Looking at the trend in its profitability, Bloomin' Brands's operating margin decreased by 3.3 percentage points over the last year. Bloomin' Brands's performance was poor no matter how you look at it - it shows that costs were rising and it couldn't pass them onto its customers. Its operating margin for the trailing 12 months was 3.6%. As long-term investors, the risk we care about most is the permanent loss of capital, which can happen when a company goes bankrupt or raises money from a disadvantaged position. This is separate from short-term stock price volatility, something we are much less bothered by. Bloomin' Brands's $2.20 billion of debt exceeds the $70.06 million of cash on its balance sheet. Furthermore, its 5× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio (based on its EBITDA of $412.1 million over the last 12 months) shows the company is overleveraged. At this level of debt, incremental borrowing becomes increasingly expensive and credit agencies could downgrade the company's rating if profitability falls. Bloomin' Brands could also be backed into a corner if the market turns unexpectedly – a situation we seek to avoid as investors in high-quality companies. We hope Bloomin' Brands can improve its balance sheet and remain cautious until it increases its profitability or pays down its debt. We see the value of companies helping consumers, but in the case of Bloomin' Brands, we're out. After the recent drawdown, the stock trades at 4.2× forward price-to-earnings (or $7.66 per share). While this valuation is optically cheap, the potential downside is huge given its shaky fundamentals. There are better investments elsewhere. We'd recommend looking at a top digital advertising platform riding the creator economy. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years. Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,183% between December 2019 and December 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Sterling Infrastructure (+1,096% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Sign in to access your portfolio
