Portillo’s Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Portillo’s Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $6.0250.

Several analysts recently weighed in on PTLO shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Portillo’s from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Portillo’s from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim lowered shares of Portillo’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $5.25 price objective on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Portillo’s from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Portillo’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PTLO traded down $0.01 on Tuesday, reaching $4.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 914,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,227,669. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.07. Portillo’s has a 52-week low of $3.78 and a 52-week high of $11.82. 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 company has a market cap of $347.97 million, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.56.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by ($0.02). Portillo’s had a net margin of 2.12% and a return on equity of 3.17%. The business had revenue of $182.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.26 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.05 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Portillo’s will post 0.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Portillo’s news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. acquired 70,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.28 per share, for a total transaction of $300,306.20. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 486,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,081,856.20. The trade was a 16.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Portillo’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PTLO. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Portillo’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,350,000. Engaged Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 124.3% during 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. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Portillo’s by 16.8% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,777,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,428,000 after purchasing an additional 830,460 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Portillo’s by 133.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,204,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,470,000 after purchasing an additional 688,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Portillo’s during the 3rd quarter worth $2,609,000. 98.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Portillo’s

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.