AlphaQuest LLC Buys 9,283 Shares of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. $TXRH

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH) by 490.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,174 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,283 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Texas Roadhouse were worth $1,857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in Texas Roadhouse during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Texas Roadhouse in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 37.2% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 299 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 100.0% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 300 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Texas Roadhouse during the second quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.82% of the company’s stock.

Texas Roadhouse Stock Performance

Texas Roadhouse stock opened at $179.86 on Friday. Texas Roadhouse, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.73 and a fifty-two week high of $199.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $176.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.62. The stock has a market cap of $11.90 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.89.

Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ:TXRH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.03). Texas Roadhouse had a return on equity of 30.59% and a net margin of 7.49%.The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. Texas Roadhouse’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Texas Roadhouse, Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Texas Roadhouse Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were issued a $0.68 dividend. This represents a $2.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. Texas Roadhouse’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Hugh J. Carroll sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.27, for a total value of $167,270.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $310,118.58. The trade was a 35.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gerald L. Morgan sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.00, for a total transaction of $980,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 91,774 shares in the company, valued at $17,987,704. The trade was a 5.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 12,400 shares of company stock worth $2,320,920 in the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on TXRH. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Texas Roadhouse in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Texas Roadhouse from $200.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Stephens cut their target price on Texas Roadhouse from $175.00 to $168.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Texas Roadhouse from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Texas Roadhouse has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $197.29.

Texas Roadhouse Profile

Texas Roadhouse, Inc is a casual dining restaurant chain specializing in hand‐cut steaks, fall‐off‐the‐bone ribs, chicken, seafood and house specialties. Each restaurant features a Western‐themed décor, open kitchens and a signature line dance presentation of fresh, made‐from‐scratch sides and breads. The company emphasizes an energetic dining experience, focusing on hospitality, value and a family‐friendly environment.

The concept was created in 1993 by founder Kent Taylor, who sought to combine high‐quality steaks with an approachable, community‐oriented atmosphere.