Portillo’s Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Portillo’s Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $7.0227.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm set a $8.00 price objective on Portillo’s in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Portillo’s from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings cut Portillo’s from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Portillo’s in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock.

Portillo’s Trading Up 6.7%

Shares of Portillo’s stock opened at $4.47 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $338.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.59. Portillo’s has a fifty-two week low of $3.78 and a fifty-two week high of $12.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.90 and a 200 day moving average of $5.12.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.01 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $182.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.27 million. Portillo’s had a return on equity of 3.17% and a net margin of 2.12%.The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.05 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Portillo’s will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. purchased 70,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.28 per share, for a total transaction of $300,306.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 486,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,081,856.20. This trade represents a 16.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Essential Partners LLC lifted its stake in Portillo’s by 83,350.0% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 5,001 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 3.3% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 704,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 22,744 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 10.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 250,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after acquiring an additional 22,733 shares in the last quarter. Engaged Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 124.3% in the first quarter. Engaged Capital LLC now owns 3,442,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,908,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 132.1% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 70,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 40,200 shares in the last quarter. 98.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.