Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Raised to “Hold” at Robert W. Baird

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) was upgraded by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on PTLO. Roth Capital set a $8.00 target price on shares of Portillo’s in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Portillo’s from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Portillo’s from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim cut Portillo’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $5.00 target price on shares of Portillo’s in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.92.

Portillo’s Stock Down 2.6%

PTLO opened at $4.85 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.63 and a 200-day moving average of $4.94. The company has a market capitalization of $368.31 million, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.56. Portillo’s has a fifty-two week low of $3.78 and a fifty-two week high of $7.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.26.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. acquired 65,355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.59 per share, with a total value of $299,979.45. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 551,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,532,624.30. The trade was a 13.44% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Portillo’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Engaged Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 124.3% in the 1st quarter. Engaged Capital LLC now owns 3,442,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,908,000 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Portillo’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $53,000. First National Bank Sioux Falls acquired a new position in Portillo’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,000. Alpine Global Management LLC bought a new position in Portillo’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Portillo’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $197,000. 98.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.