Citi Trends (NASDAQ:CTRN) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Citi Trends' stock crossed above its 200-day moving average ($43.66) on Tuesday, trading as high as $49.62 and last at $49.24 on a volume of 36,975 shares, signaling a technical breakout.
• Analysts are mixed: two Buy ratings and one Sell produce a MarketBeat consensus of Hold with a consensus target price of $68.00.
• Fundamentals show a quarter that beat expectations (EPS $0.85 vs. $0.78; revenue $230.39M vs. $227.42M) but thin profitability (net margin 0.64%), negative ROE (-4.78%), a high P/E (~83.5), and a director recently sold 2,000 shares.

Citi Trends, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTRN - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $43.66 and traded as high as $49.62. Citi Trends shares last traded at $49.24, with a volume of 36,975 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on CTRN shares. DA Davidson set a $68.00 price objective on Citi Trends in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Citi Trends in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Citi Trends in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $68.00.

Citi Trends Trading Up 0.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $410.66 million, a PE ratio of 83.46 and a beta of 2.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $46.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.66.

Citi Trends (NASDAQ:CTRN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $230.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $227.42 million. Citi Trends had a negative return on equity of 4.78% and a net margin of 0.64%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Citi Trends news, Director Margaret L. Jenkins sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.91, for a total value of $91,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 14,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $650,223.33. This trade represents a 12.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citi Trends

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Citi Trends by 143.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,051 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Citi Trends by 175.0% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Citi Trends in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Citi Trends by 277.1% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,648 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 1,211 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Citi Trends by 758.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,678 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 2,366 shares during the period.

Citi Trends Company Profile

Citi Trends, Inc NASDAQ: CTRN is an off-price retail apparel chain that focuses on value-priced urban fashion apparel and accessories for men, women, and children. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, the company offers a broad assortment of merchandise, including denim, sportswear, activewear, and seasonal styles, complemented by footwear, jewelry, cosmetics, and home goods. Through its purchasing model, Citi Trends sources closeouts, overstocks and canceled orders from name-brand vendors, enabling it to offer trending styles at competitive price points.

The company operates more than 500 stores across the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, with typical store footprints of approximately 11,000 square feet.

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