Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) Short Interest Up 25.8% in April

Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,370,000 shares, an increase of 25.8% from the March 31st total of 4,270,000 shares. Currently, 15.4% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,570,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Carter's Stock Performance

Shares of CRI stock traded up $1.98 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $34.75. The stock had a trading volume of 224,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,475,340. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 5.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.39. Carter's has a twelve month low of $32.04 and a twelve month high of $72.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Carter's (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The textile maker reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $291.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $624.86 million. Carter's had a return on equity of 27.15% and a net margin of 8.11%. The business's revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Carter's will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Carter's Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.21%. Carter's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in Carter's by 114.4% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 506 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Carter's by 2,112.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 531 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in shares of Carter's in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Carter's by 313.1% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 723 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Carter's by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 901 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 571 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on CRI shares. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Carter's from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Carter's from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays started coverage on Carter's in a report on Monday, April 28th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Carter's from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $25.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $36.20.

Carter's Company Profile

Carter's, Inc engages in the business of brand marketing of young children's apparel. It operates through the following segments: the United States (US) Retail, US Wholesale, and International. The US Retail segment includes selling products through retail stores and ecommerce websites. The US Wholesale segment focuses on wholesale partners.