StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Chuy’s (NASDAQ:CHUY)

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Chuy’s (NASDAQ:CHUY) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on CHUY. Wedbush reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $37.50 price objective (down from $38.00) on shares of Chuy’s in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Chuy’s from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $24.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Stephens reaffirmed an equal weight rating and set a $37.50 target price on shares of Chuy’s in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Benchmark cut Chuy’s from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $37.50 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $33.25.

Chuy’s Stock Performance

CHUY stock opened at $37.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $37.22 and a 200-day moving average of $31.87. Chuy’s has a fifty-two week low of $22.52 and a fifty-two week high of $39.40. The company has a market capitalization of $645.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16 and a beta of 1.77.

Chuy’s (NASDAQ:CHUY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 9th. The restaurant operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $119.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.46 million. Chuy’s had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 13.23%. Equities analysts predict that Chuy’s will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chuy’s

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHUY. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Chuy’s by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,206,181 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,264,000 after acquiring an additional 258,121 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA lifted its position in Chuy’s by 29.9% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 946,167 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,914,000 after purchasing an additional 217,838 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Chuy’s by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 907,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $23,533,000 after buying an additional 32,142 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Chuy’s by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 382,479 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,914,000 after buying an additional 65,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Chuy’s by 19.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 341,602 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $8,854,000 after buying an additional 55,465 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chuy’s Company Profile

Chuy’s Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates full-service restaurants under the Chuy’s name in the United States. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.