Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Chuy’s Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHUY)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake in Chuy’s Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHUY) by 10.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 948,060 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 91,612 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Chuy’s worth $31,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chuy’s by 13.2% in the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 317,179 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,698,000 after buying an additional 37,076 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Chuy’s by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 262,297 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,028,000 after purchasing an additional 37,920 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Chuy’s by 29.9% in the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 946,167 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,914,000 after purchasing an additional 217,838 shares during the period. AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Chuy’s during the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new position in Chuy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $872,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Chuy’s Stock Performance

Chuy’s stock remained flat at $37.09 during mid-day trading on Friday. 289,077 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 540,256. The business has a 50 day moving average of $28.31 and a 200 day moving average of $30.87. Chuy’s Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.52 and a 1-year high of $42.89. The stock has a market cap of $639.06 million, a PE ratio of 21.95 and a beta of 1.76.

Chuy’s (NASDAQ:CHUY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The restaurant operator reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.06. Chuy’s had a return on equity of 13.51% and a net margin of 6.58%. The business had revenue of $110.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Chuy’s Holdings, Inc. will post 1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on CHUY shares. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $37.50 price target (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Chuy’s in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $37.50 target price (up from $36.00) on shares of Chuy’s in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Chuy’s from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Chuy’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $41.00 target price on shares of Chuy’s in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Chuy’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.71.

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.