Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Earns “Equal Weight” Rating from Stephens

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Stephens in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $6.00 target price on the stock. Stephens’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 24.10% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on PTLO. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on shares of Portillo’s in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $7.00 price target on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Portillo’s from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $5.50 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $6.00 price target (down from $8.00) on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Portillo’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $7.64.

Portillo’s Stock Performance

Shares of PTLO traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $4.84. 2,471,091 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,721,147. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Portillo’s has a twelve month low of $4.41 and a twelve month high of $13.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.34.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $182.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.27 million. Portillo’s had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 3.93%. Portillo’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.05 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Portillo’s will post 0.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. purchased 286,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.18 per share, with a total value of $1,481,480.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 416,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,156,175. This trade represents a 219.58% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Portillo’s

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PTLO. GM Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Portillo’s in the third quarter worth approximately $1,935,000. Southeast Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Portillo’s in the third quarter worth approximately $840,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Portillo’s in the third quarter worth approximately $137,000. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Portillo’s in the third quarter worth approximately $244,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Portillo’s by 33.7% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 9,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 2,318 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.34% of the company’s stock.

Portillo’s Company Profile

Portillo’s, Inc operates a fast?casual restaurant chain best known for its Chicago?style menu, featuring Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago?style hot dogs, char?grilled burgers, salads, crinkle?cut fries and hand?spun milkshakes. In addition to its signature sandwiches and dogs, the company offers a selection of desserts—including its famous chocolate cake and frozen custard—as well as catering services designed to bring its Midwestern flavors to corporate and social events.

The company was founded in 1963 by Dick Portillo, who opened the first Portillo’s in Villa Park, Illinois.