Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Stock Keeps “Equal Weight” Rating at Stephens

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating restated by equities research analysts at Stephens in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $5.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.30% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on PTLO. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Portillo’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised Portillo’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Portillo’s from $5.50 to $4.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Portillo’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.66.

Portillo’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PTLO traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $4.66. 2,482,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,660,727. The company’s 50 day moving average is $4.25 and its 200 day moving average is $4.58. Portillo’s has a one year low of $3.29 and a one year high of $6.69. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $353.89 million, a PE ratio of 25.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.58.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 2.78%. The company had revenue of $198.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.22 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. Portillo’s’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Portillo’s will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director I Jr bought 65,355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $299,979.45. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 551,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,532,624.30. The trade was a 13.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Portillo’s

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Essential Partners LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 5,001 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Portillo’s during the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. First National Bank Sioux Falls bought a new stake in Portillo’s during the 1st quarter valued at $56,000. Horizon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Portillo’s in the 1st quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Portillo’s in the 4th quarter worth $89,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.34% of the company’s stock.

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.