Carter's (NYSE:CRI) Shares Up 3.8% - Time to Buy?

Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 3.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $33.88 and last traded at $33.68. 313,964 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,298,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.44.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on CRI. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Carter's from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Carter's from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on Carter's in a report on Monday, April 28th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Carter's from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $36.80.

Carter's Trading Down 3.3%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $35.66 and a 200 day moving average of $45.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.78, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Carter's Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is an increase from Carter's's previous dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Carter's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carter's

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Carter's by 114.4% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 506 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Carter's by 313.1% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 723 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Carter's by 2,112.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 531 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in shares of Carter's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Carter's by 80.9% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter.

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.