Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Stock Moved Down to Sell by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group decreased their target price on Portillo’s from $5.50 to $4.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Robert W. Baird raised Portillo’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.66.

Portillo’s Stock Performance

Shares of PTLO stock opened at $4.87 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $369.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 1.58. Portillo’s has a 52 week low of $3.29 and a 52 week high of $6.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.20 and a 200-day moving average of $4.82.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.09. The company had revenue of $198.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.22 million. Portillo’s had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 2.78%. Portillo’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.12 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Portillo’s will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Portillo’s

In other news, Director I Jr acquired 65,355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $299,979.45. Following the purchase, the director owned 551,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,532,624.30. This represents a 13.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Portillo’s

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PTLO. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Portillo’s by 1.0% in the first quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 263,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,393,000 after purchasing an additional 2,487 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Portillo’s by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 195,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 4,497 shares during the period. Essential Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Portillo’s by 83,350.0% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 5,001 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in shares of Portillo’s by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 131,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 10,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Portillo’s by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 65,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 14,973 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.34% of the company’s stock.

Portillo’s Company Profile

Portillo’s, Inc operates a chain of fast-casual restaurants known for Chicago-style food. Its menu features Italian beef and Italian sausage sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, french fries, shakes and other desserts.

The company traces its origins to 1963, when Dick Portillo opened a small hot dog stand called The Dog House in Villa Park, Illinois. Portillo’s has since expanded from its Chicago-area roots into a multi-state restaurant business, with locations primarily in the United States.