Carter's (NYSE:CRI) Upgraded to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Carter's to a "Buy", joining recent upgrades from Goldman Sachs, Zacks and Citigroup (which also raised its target to $50), though MarketBeat's consensus rating remains a "Hold" with a $37.33 average price target.
• Carter's reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.90 vs. a $1.70 estimate and revenue of $925.45M (up 7.7% year-over-year), set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.02–$0.08 EPS, and saw the stock rise about 4.2% to $38.51.
• Institutional investors added to positions, including a 23.0% increase by Invesco and a 66.5% increase by Corient Private Wealth, while several firms initiated or raised stakes during the quarter.

Carter's (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Carter's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Carter's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Carter's from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Carter's in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Carter's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $50.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.33.

Carter's Trading Up 4.2%

CRI stock opened at $38.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Carter's has a 12-month low of $23.38 and a 12-month high of $44.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.28, a PEG ratio of 5.49 and a beta of 0.98. The business's 50-day moving average is $36.65 and its 200 day moving average is $33.93.

Carter's (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The textile maker reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.20. Carter's had a return on equity of 14.45% and a net margin of 3.17%.The company had revenue of $925.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $912.36 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.39 EPS. Carter's's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Carter's has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.020-0.080 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Carter's will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Carter's by 66.5% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 19,349 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $627,000 after acquiring an additional 7,728 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Carter's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Carter's by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 268,789 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $8,717,000 after acquiring an additional 50,243 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in Carter's by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 30,279 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Carter's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $331,000.

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.

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