Chico’s FAS (NYSE:CHS) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chico’s FAS (NYSE:CHS – Get Rating) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning.

Chico’s FAS Price Performance

Shares of CHS opened at $5.91 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.93. Chico’s FAS has a fifty-two week low of $3.80 and a fifty-two week high of $7.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $739.60 million, a PE ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Chico’s FAS (NYSE:CHS – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 7th. The specialty retailer reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.18. Chico’s FAS had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 43.27%. The company had revenue of $540.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $490.10 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.08) earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Chico’s FAS will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Chico’s FAS

In related news, insider Bonnie R. Brooks sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.57, for a total transaction of $557,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,185,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,601,992.89. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CHS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Chico’s FAS by 361.9% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 128,409 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 100,609 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its stake in shares of Chico’s FAS by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 51,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 13,100 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chico’s FAS in the fourth quarter worth $228,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chico’s FAS in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chico’s FAS in the fourth quarter worth $609,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.88% of the company’s stock.

About Chico’s FAS

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Chico's FAS, Inc operates as an omnichannel specialty retailer of women's private branded casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, and complementary accessories. It operates under the Chico's, White House Black Market (WHBM)and Soma brands. The Chico's brand primarily sells private branded clothing focusing on women with moderate to high household income levels.