Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $5.00 target price on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Robert W. Baird raised Portillo’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.92.

Portillo’s Price Performance

Shares of Portillo’s stock opened at $4.42 on Friday. Portillo’s has a 52 week low of $3.78 and a 52 week high of $6.98. 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 cap of $335.65 million, a PE ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $4.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.87.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Portillo’s news, Director I Jr acquired 65,355 shares of Portillo’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $4.59 per share, with a total value of $299,979.45. Following the purchase, the director owned 551,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,532,624.30. The trade was a 13.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Portillo’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its position in shares of Portillo’s by 501.5% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 269,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 224,486 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Portillo’s by 29.5% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 65,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 14,973 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Portillo’s by 283.1% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 36,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 27,014 shares in the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC increased its stake in Portillo’s by 83,350.0% in the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 5,001 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Portillo’s by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 704,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,727,000 after buying an additional 22,744 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.34% of the company’s stock.

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.