New York, Feb 11, 2026, 16:20 (EST) — Trading after hours
- Bloomin’ Brands ended the day down roughly 0.4%, trailing a handful of other casual-dining stocks.
- Traders reconsidered the speed of Fed rate cuts after a stronger U.S. jobs report.
- Up next: the CPI report hits Friday, with Bloomin’ Brands earnings following on Feb. 25.
Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. settled at $6.94 on Wednesday, slipping roughly 0.4% after trading between $6.91 and $7.31. The Outback Steakhouse owner trailed a few of its casual-dining rivals—Darden Restaurants ended up close to 1%, while Brinker International gained nearly 2%.
Investors are reworking their rate outlooks, a shift that tends to rattle consumer-facing names. Restaurants, in particular, sit under the microscope here: when borrowing costs change, it ripples through to customer spending habits and the labor bill companies face.
January’s jobs numbers came in hotter than forecast, which helped calm recession fears but put a damper on bets for quick Fed rate cuts. “Today’s data suggest another rate cut … is increasingly unlikely,” said Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo. 1
U.S. stocks barely budged by the close, with mixed forces keeping major indexes in check. All eyes are turning to Friday’s January Consumer Price Index report—investors are hoping for clarity on inflation and what the Fed does next. 2
Bloomin’ Brands has its next trigger coming up soon. Fiscal fourth-quarter results drop Feb. 25, with the earnings call set for 8:30 a.m. EST, according to the company’s statement. 3
Traders want to hear whether traffic is picking up and pricing looks stronger at the company’s brands—Outback is in the spotlight. There’s also an eye on “same-store sales,” the key metric that tracks revenue from restaurants open a year or more, filtering out the impact of new locations and shutdowns.
Margins pose their own set of challenges. Shifts in food or wage expenses tend to happen fast, while ramping up promotions draws crowds—though if discounts go too deep, profits take the hit.
The immediate worry for the stock: if Friday’s inflation numbers come in hotter than expected, traders could start pricing in rate cuts even later—that’s typically bad news for consumer discretionary stocks. On the flip side, a softer reading might give them a short-lived lift.
The stock isn’t breaking out of its tight range yet. Investors are holding back, looking for more straightforward numbers and firmer guidance instead of jumping ahead of whatever’s next.
The stage is set for Friday’s CPI report. After that comes Bloomin’ Brands’ earnings drop and conference call, scheduled for Feb. 25.
