Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Portillo’s (NASDAQ:PTLO) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Portillo’s in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $5.00 price objective on shares of Portillo’s in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Portillo’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Portillo’s from $5.50 to $4.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.66.

Portillo’s Stock Performance

NASDAQ PTLO opened at $4.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $352.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $4.25 and a 200 day moving average of $4.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Portillo’s has a twelve month low of $3.29 and a twelve month high of $6.69.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Portillo’s news, Director I Jr acquired 65,355 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $299,979.45. Following the acquisition, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Essential Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Portillo’s by 83,350.0% in the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 5,001 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Portillo’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $53,000. First National Bank Sioux Falls acquired a new stake in shares of Portillo’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Horizon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Portillo’s during the first quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC purchased a new position in Portillo’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $89,000. 98.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Portillo’s

Portillo’s, Inc operates a chain of fast-casual restaurants known for Chicago-style food. Its menu features Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef and sausage sandwiches, burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, French fries, milkshakes and its signature chocolate cake.

The company serves customers through company-operated restaurants, drive-thru lanes, takeout and delivery services, as well as catering. Portillo’s restaurants are concentrated in the Midwest and have expanded into select Sun Belt markets, including Arizona and Florida.

Portillo’s traces its origins to 1963, when founder Dick Portillo opened a small hot dog stand called The Dog House in Villa Park, Illinois.