Ascent Group LLC Has $1.56 Million Stake in Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH)

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,624 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,596 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Texas Roadhouse were worth $1,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,540,615 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,180,123,000 after purchasing an additional 76,051 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,479,323 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $447,344,000 after purchasing an additional 138,675 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,300,987 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $234,737,000 after purchasing an additional 402,465 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,207,645 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $217,959,000 after purchasing an additional 6,004 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,180,842 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $208,539,000 after purchasing an additional 148,462 shares during the period. 94.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Texas Roadhouse Trading Down 1.7%

Texas Roadhouse stock traded down $3.48 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $196.32. 953,600 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 913,835. Texas Roadhouse, Inc. has a 1-year low of $148.73 and a 1-year high of $206.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $172.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.42. The stock has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.87.

Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ:TXRH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($0.05). Texas Roadhouse had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 34.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Texas Roadhouse, Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Texas Roadhouse Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 3rd will be paid a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 3rd. Texas Roadhouse's payout ratio is presently 41.98%.

Insider Activity at Texas Roadhouse

In related news, Director Donna E. Epps sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.52, for a total value of $149,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $863,960.64. This trade represents a 14.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher C. Colson sold 580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.94, for a total value of $105,525.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,183,280. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,585 shares of company stock worth $2,485,188. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on TXRH. Citigroup downgraded shares of Texas Roadhouse from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $213.00 to $164.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $179.00 to $175.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens cut their target price on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $186.00 to $180.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $205.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.62.

About Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It also operates and franchises restaurants under the Texas Roadhouse, Bubba's 33, and Jaggers names in 49 states and ten internationally. Texas Roadhouse, Inc was founded in 1993 and is based in Louisville, Kentucky.