Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. has made a new investment in Carter's, Inc., acquiring approximately 29,310 shares valued at about $1.20 million during the first quarter.
• Carter's recently reported earnings of $0.17 EPS, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $0.43, despite achieving revenues of $585.31 million, exceeding the forecast of $563.24 million.
• The company increased its dividend from $0.22 to $0.25 per share, representing a yield of 319.0%, with a payout ratio of 26.53% as of the last dividend declaration.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 29,310 shares of the textile maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,199,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.08% of Carter's as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CRI. RWWM Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Carter's by 145.3% in the 1st quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 2,190,482 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $89,591,000 after buying an additional 1,297,607 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Carter's by 124.4% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,739,522 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $93,134,000 after purchasing an additional 964,494 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Carter's by 108.0% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,126,468 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $61,043,000 after acquiring an additional 584,850 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Carter's by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,919,953 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $104,042,000 after buying an additional 479,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interval Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Carter's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $14,242,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CRI. Barclays dropped their price target on Carter's from $25.00 to $22.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Carter's from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Carter's from $32.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th.

Carter's Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of CRI traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.46. 398,260 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,553,170. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 2.20. The firm's 50 day moving average is $30.19 and its 200-day moving average is $37.59. The company has a market cap of $927.33 million, a PE ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.99. Carter's, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.38 and a 52 week high of $71.99.

Carter's (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The textile maker reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.26). Carter's had a net margin of 4.79% and a return on equity of 20.68%. The firm had revenue of $585.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $563.24 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Carter's, Inc. will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carter's Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. This is an increase from Carter's's previous dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a dividend yield of 319.0%. Carter's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.53%.

About Carter's

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.