Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the four brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.00.

CRI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price target on Carter’s from $57.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Carter’s from $65.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Carter’s from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th.

Carter’s Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of Carter’s stock opened at $41.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.56, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $52.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.93. Carter’s has a 1 year low of $40.76 and a 1 year high of $88.03.

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

Carter’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.75%. Carter’s’s payout ratio is 62.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Carter’s by 36.9% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Carter’s by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,031 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Carter’s by 114.4% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 506 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Carter’s by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 4,073 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Carter’s by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 5,217 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter.

Carter’s Company Profile

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.