Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,670,000 shares, an increase of 15.0% from the December 31st total of 4,060,000 shares. Approximately 13.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,290,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Carter’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Carter’s from $72.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carter’s

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CRI. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Carter’s by 112.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 405 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Carter’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Carter’s by 221.2% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 726 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Carter’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $74,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in Carter’s by 136.7% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,780 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares in the last quarter.

Carter’s Price Performance

Shares of CRI opened at $53.90 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.47. Carter’s has a 1-year low of $50.25 and a 1-year high of $88.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.22.

Carter’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Carter’s’s payout ratio is 50.79%.

About Carter’s

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.