Insider Buying: Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Director Acquires 286,000 Shares of Stock

Portillo’s Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO) Director Eugene Lee, Jr. purchased 286,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $5.18 per share, for a total transaction of $1,481,480.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 416,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,156,175. This represents a 219.58% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Portillo’s Trading Up 3.3%

Portillo’s stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $5.33. 1,634,217 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,379,447. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Portillo’s Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.41 and a 52-week high of $13.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $402.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $5.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.53.

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $185.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $185.50 million. Portillo’s had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 3.93%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.17 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Portillo’s Inc. will post 0.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Portillo’s

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Wyoming grew its stake in shares of Portillo’s by 176.6% in the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 2,893 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Portillo’s by 135.8% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Portillo’s in the second quarter worth $32,000. CWM LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 1,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Portillo’s in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 98.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on PTLO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $7.00 target price on Portillo’s in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and issued a $6.00 target price (down from $8.00) on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Portillo’s in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $5.50 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Portillo’s from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $7.50.

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.