Stephens Reaffirms “Equal Weight” Rating for Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO)

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $5.00 price target on the stock. Stephens’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.28% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised Portillo’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 6th. UBS Group cut their target price on Portillo’s from $5.50 to $4.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Portillo’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.66.

Portillo’s Stock Performance

NASDAQ PTLO traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $4.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,606,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,652,169. Portillo’s has a fifty-two week low of $3.29 and a fifty-two week high of $6.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.58. The firm has a market cap of $364.13 million, a P/E ratio of 26.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.58.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.09. Portillo’s had a return on equity of 2.78% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $198.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.22 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.12 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Portillo’s will post 0.19 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director I Jr purchased 65,355 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $299,979.45. Following the transaction, the director owned 551,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,532,624.30. This trade represents a 13.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Portillo’s

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Essential Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Portillo’s by 83,350.0% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 5,001 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Portillo’s during the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. First National Bank Sioux Falls acquired a new position in shares of Portillo’s during the 1st quarter valued at $56,000. Horizon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Portillo’s during the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Portillo’s during the 4th quarter valued at $89,000. 98.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Portillo’s Company Profile

Portillo’s, Inc operates a chain of fast-casual restaurants known for Chicago-style food. Its menu features Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef and sausage sandwiches, burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, French fries, milkshakes and its signature chocolate cake.

The company serves customers through company-operated restaurants, drive-thru lanes, takeout and delivery services, as well as catering. Portillo’s restaurants are concentrated in the Midwest and have expanded into select Sun Belt markets, including Arizona and Florida.

Portillo’s traces its origins to 1963, when founder Dick Portillo opened a small hot dog stand called The Dog House in Villa Park, Illinois.