Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-three research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $194.2632.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on TXRH shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $187.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $210.00 to $205.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Texas Roadhouse in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Texas Roadhouse from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Texas Roadhouse in a research report on Monday.

Texas Roadhouse Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NASDAQ TXRH opened at $171.36 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $168.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.94. Texas Roadhouse has a twelve month low of $148.73 and a twelve month high of $199.99.

Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ:TXRH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.03). Texas Roadhouse had a return on equity of 30.59% and a net margin of 7.49%.The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.26 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Texas Roadhouse will post 7.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Texas Roadhouse Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were paid a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. Texas Roadhouse’s payout ratio is currently 41.59%.

Insider Transactions at Texas Roadhouse

In related news, Director Gregory N. Moore sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $238,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,465,500. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hugh J. Carroll sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.27, for a total transaction of $167,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $310,118.58. This trade represents a 35.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Texas Roadhouse

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 14.7% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,638,914 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $604,606,000 after purchasing an additional 466,176 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Texas Roadhouse by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,603,729 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $487,965,000 after buying an additional 382,699 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Texas Roadhouse by 85.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,343,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $439,102,000 after buying an additional 1,081,413 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 580.2% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,236,885 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $371,658,000 after buying an additional 1,908,033 shares during the period. Finally, Axiom Investors LLC DE lifted its holdings in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 3,696.7% in the first quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE now owns 2,173,807 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $362,221,000 after buying an additional 2,116,552 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.82% of the company’s stock.

About Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse, Inc is a casual dining restaurant chain specializing in hand‐cut steaks, fall‐off‐the‐bone ribs, chicken, seafood and house specialties. Each restaurant features a Western‐themed décor, open kitchens and a signature line dance presentation of fresh, made‐from‐scratch sides and breads. The company emphasizes an energetic dining experience, focusing on hospitality, value and a family‐friendly environment.

The concept was created in 1993 by founder Kent Taylor, who sought to combine high‐quality steaks with an approachable, community‐oriented atmosphere.