Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Rating Increased to Hold at Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on PTLO. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Guggenheim lowered Portillo’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Portillo’s from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Portillo’s from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.92.

Portillo’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PTLO opened at $4.85 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $368.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $4.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.94. Portillo’s has a 12 month low of $3.78 and a 12 month high of $7.18.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.09. The firm had revenue of $198.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.22 million. Portillo’s had a return on equity of 2.78% and a net margin of 1.85%.Portillo’s’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Portillo’s will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Portillo’s news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. bought 65,355 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $4.59 per share, with a total value of $299,979.45. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 551,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,532,624.30. The trade was a 13.44% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PTLO. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Portillo’s by 29.5% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 65,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 14,973 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 283.1% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 36,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,000 after acquiring an additional 27,014 shares during the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 83,350.0% in the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 5,001 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Portillo’s by 3.3% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 704,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 22,744 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Portillo’s by 10.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 250,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after purchasing an additional 22,733 shares during the last quarter. 98.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.