Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Sunday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Carter’s from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Carter’s from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Carter’s from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Carter’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Carter’s from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and an average target price of $29.40.

Carter’s Price Performance

NYSE CRI opened at $36.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.29. Carter’s has a 12 month low of $23.38 and a 12 month high of $55.71.

Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The textile maker reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $757.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $760.11 million. Carter’s had a return on equity of 16.71% and a net margin of 3.15%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Carter’s will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carter’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Carter’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carter’s

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in Carter’s by 37.1% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 125,115 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $4,057,000 after purchasing an additional 33,845 shares in the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. bought a new stake in Carter’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $440,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Carter’s by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 30,412 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $986,000 after acquiring an additional 10,172 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Carter’s by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,551 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Carter’s by 555.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,115 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares in the last quarter.

Carter’s Company Profile

Carter’s, Inc (NYSE: CRI) is a leading designer and marketer of infant and young children’s apparel in North America. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company’s core business focuses on creating clothing and accessories for babies and children, including bodysuits, sleepwear, layette, outerwear and accessories that blend comfort, safety and style. Carter’s flagship brand is complemented by its OshKosh B’gosh line, which offers heritage-inspired designs and durable fabrics for toddlers and young kids.

The company distributes its products through a diversified platform that includes wholesale partnerships with major department stores and mass merchandisers, direct‐to‐consumer e-commerce sites, and an extensive network of company-operated retail stores.