Portillo's Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Portillo’s has a consensus “Hold” rating from 13 brokerages: 10 holds, two buys and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $5.925, compared with a recent share price of $3.75.
• The company’s latest quarterly results matched expectations, with EPS of $0.09 and revenue of $198.95 million, up 5.6% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $0.19.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 98.34%, while director I Jr. Lee purchased 65,355 shares for nearly $300,000, increasing his holdings by 13.44%.

Portillo's Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLO - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.9250.

PTLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Portillo's from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, September 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Portillo's in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird upgraded Portillo's to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of Portillo's in a research report on Thursday, August 6th.

Portillo's Price Performance

NASDAQ PTLO opened at $3.75 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $3.70 and a 1 year high of $6.83. The company has a market cap of $284.77 million, a PE ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.56. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $4.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.78.

Portillo's (NASDAQ:PTLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.09. The business had revenue of $198.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.22 million. Portillo's had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 2.78%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.12 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Portillo's will post 0.19 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director I Jr bought 65,355 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $4.59 per share, for a total transaction of $299,979.45. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 551,770 shares in the company, valued at $2,532,624.30. This trade represents a 13.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Portillo's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PTLO. Engaged Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Portillo's by 124.3% in the 1st quarter. Engaged Capital LLC now owns 3,442,990 shares of the company's stock worth $18,213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,908,000 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Portillo's by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 65,667 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after acquiring an additional 14,973 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Portillo's by 3.3% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 704,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 22,744 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Portillo's by 132.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 70,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 40,200 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Portillo's by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 195,510 shares of the company's stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 4,497 shares in the last quarter. 98.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Portillo's

Portillo's, Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company known for Chicago-style food and hospitality. Its menu features Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago-style hot dogs, char-grilled burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, French fries, hand-mixed shakes and its signature chocolate cake.

The company serves customers through a network of company-owned restaurants, as well as drive-thru, pickup, delivery, catering and shipping channels. Portillo's restaurants generally feature a distinctive Chicago-themed atmosphere and offer convenient options for dine-in and off-premise orders.

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

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