Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TAST) Short Interest Update

Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TAST) saw a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,440,000 shares, a growth of 28.6% from the March 31st total of 1,120,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 673,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Carrols Restaurant Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:TAST traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.52. 668,776 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 916,331. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $546.26 million, a P/E ratio of 18.31 and a beta of 2.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.28. Carrols Restaurant Group has a 1 year low of $3.67 and a 1 year high of $9.54.

Carrols Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:TAST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.05. Carrols Restaurant Group had a return on equity of 19.41% and a net margin of 1.80%. The company had revenue of $470.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $470.41 million. Analysts anticipate that Carrols Restaurant Group will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carrols Restaurant Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Carrols Restaurant Group’s payout ratio is 15.38%.

Institutional Trading of Carrols Restaurant Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Carrols Restaurant Group by 44.7% during the 3rd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 859,120 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,660,000 after acquiring an additional 265,482 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Carrols Restaurant Group by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 646,720 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,096,000 after buying an additional 21,900 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Carrols Restaurant Group by 181.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 460,177 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 296,473 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Carrols Restaurant Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,230,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Carrols Restaurant Group by 447,334.4% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 286,358 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,257,000 after buying an additional 286,294 shares during the period. 86.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $9.55 price objective (down previously from $13.00) on shares of Carrols Restaurant Group in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Carrols Restaurant Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Craig Hallum reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Carrols Restaurant Group in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $9.55 price target (down previously from $10.00) on shares of Carrols Restaurant Group in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Carrols Restaurant Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $8.87.

Carrols Restaurant Group Company Profile

Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates restaurants in the United States. It operates quick service restaurants as a franchisee under the Burger King and Popeyes brands in 23 Northeastern, Midwestern, Southcentral, and Southeastern states. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Syracuse, New York.