Reviewing Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) & Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND)

Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) and Lindblad Expeditions (NASDAQ:LIND) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Bloomin’ Brands and Lindblad Expeditions’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Bloomin’ Brands	0.70%	28.95%	3.47%
Lindblad Expeditions	-2.08%	-0.56%	0.13%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Bloomin’ Brands and Lindblad Expeditions”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Bloomin’ Brands	$3.98 billion	0.23	$8.24 million	$0.31	34.10
Lindblad Expeditions	$771.02 million	3.18	-$29.72 million	($0.38)	-98.29

Bloomin’ Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Lindblad Expeditions. Lindblad Expeditions is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bloomin’ Brands, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Bloomin’ Brands has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its stock price is 26% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lindblad Expeditions has a beta of 2.24, meaning that its stock price is 124% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Bloomin’ Brands and Lindblad Expeditions, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Bloomin’ Brands	0	11	0	0	2.00
Lindblad Expeditions	1	3	4	1	2.56

Bloomin’ Brands presently has a consensus target price of $10.90, suggesting a potential upside of 3.08%. Lindblad Expeditions has a consensus target price of $31.50, suggesting a potential downside of 15.66%. Given Bloomin’ Brands’ higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Bloomin’ Brands is more favorable than Lindblad Expeditions.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

75.9% of Lindblad Expeditions shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Bloomin’ Brands shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 26.1% of Lindblad Expeditions shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Bloomin’ Brands beats Lindblad Expeditions on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bloomin’ Brands

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. Its brands include Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. The company was founded by Chris Thomas Sullivan, Robert Danker Basham and John Timothy Gannon in March 1988 and is headquartered in Tampa, FL.

About Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. provides marine expedition adventures and travel experience worldwide. It operates through Lindblad and Land Experiences segment. Lindblad segment provides ship-based expeditions aboard customized, nimble, and intimately-scaled vessels, which offers up-close experiences in the planet's wild and remote places, and capitals of culture; and offers expedition ship which is equipped with state-of-the-art tools for in-depth exploration with infrastructure and ports, such as Antarctica and the Arctic, and places that accessed by a ship comprising Galápagos Islands, Alaska, Baja California's Sea of Cortez and Panama, and foster engagement activities. The Land Experiences segment comprises natural habitats, which provides over 100 different expedition itineraries in more than 45 countries across seven continents, with eco-conscious expeditions and nature-focused, and small-group tours including polar bear tours and bear adventure; and DuVine provides intimate group cycling and adventure tours around the world with local cycling experts as guides in local cultural, cuisine, and accommodations. This segment also offers off the beaten path including small group travel, led by local, and experienced guides with focus on wildlife, hiking national parks, and culture; and classical journey, a curated active small-group and private custom journeys centered around cinematic walks led by expert local guides over 50 countries across the world. In addition, it has an alliance with National Geographic Partners, LLC, which provides lecturers and National Geographic experts including photographers, marine biologists, writers, naturalists, field researchers, and film crews; and partnered with World Wildlife Fund to offer conservation travel. Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in New York, New York.