Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) Stock Price Up 5.4% – Still a Buy?

Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI)’s stock price shot up 5.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $38.05 and last traded at $37.49. 857,730 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 1,366,426 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Carter’s from $57.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Carter’s from $65.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Carter’s from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.00.

Carter’s Stock Up 4.0 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.87, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.21. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.73.

Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The textile maker reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.52. Carter’s had a net margin of 8.11% and a return on equity of 27.15%. The company had revenue of $859.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $835.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.76 EPS. Carter’s’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Carter’s, Inc. will post 5.15 EPS for the current year.

Carter’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. Carter’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carter’s

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Carter’s by 114.4% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 506 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Carter’s by 2,112.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 531 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in shares of Carter’s during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Carter’s by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 901 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carter’s by 36.9% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period.

About Carter’s

Carter’s, Inc engages in the business of brand marketing of young children’s apparel. It operates through the following segments: the United States (US) Retail, US Wholesale, and International. The US Retail segment includes selling products through retail stores and ecommerce websites. The US Wholesale segment focuses on wholesale partners.