Monness Crespi & Hardt Boosts Carter's (NYSE:CRI) Price Target to $50.00

Key Points

• Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on Carter's to $50 (from $45) and reiterated a "buy" rating, implying about a 34% upside from the current price.
• Carter's reported a Q1 beat — $0.39 EPS vs. $0.13 expected and $681.1M revenue vs. $660.6M — and set Q2 guidance of $0.02–$0.06 (vs. a consensus near -$0.09), which helped drive the stock higher.
• Analysts remain split: one Strong Buy, three Buy, two Hold and three Sell result in a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" with an average price target of $39.50, despite recent upgrades and institutional buying.

Carter's (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by Monness Crespi & Hardt from $45.00 to $50.00 in a research note issued on Thursday. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the textile maker's stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt's target price indicates a potential upside of 34.31% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Carter's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. UBS Group raised their price target on Carter's from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered Carter's from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Carter's from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup raised Carter's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $34.00 to $50.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Carter's presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $39.50.

Carter's Trading Up 11.7%

NYSE CRI opened at $37.23 on Thursday. Carter's has a 12 month low of $23.38 and a 12 month high of $44.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.51, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $36.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.60. The stock has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.86.

Carter's (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The textile maker reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $681.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $660.59 million. Carter's had a net margin of 3.17% and a return on equity of 14.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. Carter's has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.020-0.060 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Carter's will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carter's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RWWM Inc. increased its position in Carter's by 44.8% in the third quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 5,900,170 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $166,503,000 after buying an additional 1,824,379 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Carter's by 113.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,564,457 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $77,267,000 after buying an additional 1,364,698 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Carter's during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $14,918,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Carter's by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,201,996 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $33,920,000 after acquiring an additional 365,501 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Carter's by 1,679.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 370,791 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $11,172,000 after acquiring an additional 349,957 shares in the last quarter.

More Carter's News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carter's this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Carter’s reported $0.39 EPS and $681.1M in revenue, topping consensus estimates and driven by strength across U.S. Retail, Wholesale and International channels; this is the primary catalyst for the stock’s rise. Carter’s, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Upside guidance surprise — management set Q2 fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $0.02–$0.06 versus a consensus near -$0.09, reducing near-term downside risk and supporting investor sentiment. Press Release / Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail momentum detail — U.S. retail segment sales rose strongly (reported ~12.8% in some summaries), underlining demand but not guaranteeing margin recovery; useful context for modeling revenue growth. Zacks: Retail Segment Sales Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / disclosure — the Q1 earnings call transcript and slide deck are available; management commentary will be important for clarity on margin recovery, inventory and promotional cadence. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure — analysts and the company flagged tariffs and inflation weighing on margins and profit outlook, which could limit EPS upside even as sales grow. Zacks: Tariffs and Inflation Weigh on Margins
• Negative Sentiment: Store closures report — a media article says Carter’s will close multiple California stores as part of a downsizing, which raises execution and cost-cutting concerns and could temper investor enthusiasm. NY Post: Carter’s Closing Multiple California Stores

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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