Short Interest in Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI) Rises By 9.7%

Carter's, Inc. (NYSE:CRI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,060,000 shares, a growth of 9.7% from the November 30th total of 3,700,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,290,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Currently, 11.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised Carter's from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Carter's from $72.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $67.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carter's

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Carter's during the 3rd quarter worth $683,000. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Carter's by 79.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 152,560 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $9,913,000 after purchasing an additional 67,460 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Carter's by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 81,435 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $5,292,000 after purchasing an additional 26,650 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Carter's by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 122,231 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $7,943,000 after buying an additional 11,480 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Carter's by 3.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,171,810 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $76,144,000 after buying an additional 42,589 shares in the last quarter.

Carter's Price Performance

Shares of CRI stock traded up $1.41 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.19. 889,416 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,008,529. The company's 50 day moving average price is $55.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.00. The company has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.60, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.23. Carter's has a 12 month low of $50.27 and a 12 month high of $88.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.21.

Carter's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. Carter's's payout ratio is currently 50.79%.

About Carter's

Carter's, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, and markets branded childrenswear under the Carter's, OshKosh, Skip Hop, Child of Mine, Just One You, Simple Joys, Little Planet, and other brands in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S.