BMO Capital Markets Upgrades Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) to “Strong-Buy”

Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) was upgraded by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

CRI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Carter’s in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Capital One Financial set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Carter’s in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Carter’s in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Carter’s from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Carter’s from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.88.

Carter’s Stock Down 5.9%

Shares of Carter’s stock opened at $30.19 on Tuesday. Carter’s has a 1 year low of $27.15 and a 1 year high of $44.44. The firm has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.65, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $37.13 and a 200 day moving average of $37.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.50.

Carter’s (NYSE:CRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The textile maker reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $615.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $605.68 million. Carter’s had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 6.55%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Carter’s will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carter’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRI. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Carter’s by 21.8% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,577 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its position in shares of Carter’s by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 17,560 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carter’s by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,160 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Carter’s by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 30,279 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Carter’s by 445.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 775 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the last quarter.

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.