79,765 Shares in Carter’s, Inc. $CRI Acquired by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 79,765 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $3,283,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Carter’s by 50.2% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 40,649 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 13,594 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Carter’s by 5.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 120,964 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $4,947,000 after purchasing an additional 6,195 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Carter’s by 4.7% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 16,482 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Carter’s by 71.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 9,390 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 3,915 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Carter’s by 30.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 223,731 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,741,000 after purchasing an additional 52,103 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRI has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Carter’s in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their target price on Carter’s from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Carter’s from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Carter’s in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Carter’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.17.

Carter’s Stock Down 2.8%

CRI opened at $36.17 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $39.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.77, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.86. Carter’s, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $24.71 and a fifty-two week high of $44.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.47.

Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The textile maker reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.20. Carter’s had a net margin of 6.55% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $615.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $605.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.17 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Carter’s, Inc. will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Carter’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Carter’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.73%.

Carter’s Company Profile

Carter’s, Inc (NYSE: CRI) is a leading designer and marketer of infant and young children’s apparel in North America. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company’s core business focuses on creating clothing and accessories for babies and children, including bodysuits, sleepwear, layette, outerwear and accessories that blend comfort, safety and style. Carter’s flagship brand is complemented by its OshKosh B’gosh line, which offers heritage-inspired designs and durable fabrics for toddlers and young kids.

The company distributes its products through a diversified platform that includes wholesale partnerships with major department stores and mass merchandisers, direct‐to‐consumer e-commerce sites, and an extensive network of company-operated retail stores.