Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) Given Average Recommendation of “Strong Sell” by Analysts

Shares of Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) have earned a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and three have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $28.80.

CRI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Carter’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on Carter’s from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Carter’s from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Carter’s from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Carter’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th.

Carter’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CRI opened at $31.93 on Wednesday. Carter’s has a 12-month low of $23.38 and a 12-month high of $56.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.45 and a 200 day moving average of $30.01.

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

Carter’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Carter’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carter’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CRI. RWWM Inc. raised its position in shares of Carter’s by 86.1% during the second quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 4,075,791 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $122,804,000 after buying an additional 1,885,309 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Carter’s by 14,270.6% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,631,493 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $66,728,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,140 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Carter’s by 113.7% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,564,457 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $77,267,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364,698 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in Carter’s by 43.7% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,201,996 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $33,920,000 after acquiring an additional 365,501 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Carter’s by 1,679.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 370,791 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $11,172,000 after acquiring an additional 349,957 shares during 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.