Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Roth Capital set a $8.00 price target on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Portillo’s from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $5.00 target price on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Portillo’s from $7.00 to $6.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Guggenheim cut shares of Portillo’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.92.

Portillo’s Price Performance

PTLO opened at $4.70 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.92 million, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $4.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.92. Portillo’s has a 12-month low of $3.78 and a 12-month high of $7.12.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09. The company had revenue of $198.95 million for 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 for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Portillo’s will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Portillo’s

In other news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. acquired 65,355 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $299,979.45. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Portillo’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Essential Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 5,001 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Portillo’s by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Portillo’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Portillo’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Portillo’s by 235.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 9,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 6,486 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.