Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) Trading Up 5.8% – Should You Buy?

Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI)’s share price shot up 5.8% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $42.92 and last traded at $43.10. 282,650 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 1,062,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on CRI. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Carter’s from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Carter’s from $65.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Carter’s from $57.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.00.

Carter’s Stock Up 8.0 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $50.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.11. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 6.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.24.

Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The textile maker reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $859.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $835.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.76 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Carter’s, Inc. will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carter’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Carter’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CRI. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Carter’s in the third quarter valued at $329,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Carter’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Carter’s by 78.8% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 6,161 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Carter’s by 15.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,031 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in shares of Carter’s by 1.3% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 29,080 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,890,000 after buying an additional 383 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.