Magnetar Financial LLC Purchases 7,712 Shares of Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH)

Magnetar Financial LLC increased its holdings in Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:TXRH) by 116.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,712 shares during the quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC’s holdings in Texas Roadhouse were worth $2,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crown Advisors Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Crown Advisors Management Inc. now owns 15,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,706,000 after acquiring an additional 7,500 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Texas Roadhouse by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 13,558 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,446,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Texas Roadhouse by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the period. Poinciana Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in Texas Roadhouse during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in Texas Roadhouse by 58.5% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 2,155 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares during the period. 94.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Texas Roadhouse Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:TXRH opened at $170.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a PE ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $176.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.13. Texas Roadhouse, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.75 and a 12-month high of $206.04.

Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ:TXRH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. Texas Roadhouse had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 34.02%. Equities analysts forecast that Texas Roadhouse, Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current year.

Texas Roadhouse Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.68 per share. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This is an increase from Texas Roadhouse’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Texas Roadhouse’s payout ratio is currently 42.04%.

Insider Activity at Texas Roadhouse

In related news, President Regina A. Tobin sold 3,154 shares of Texas Roadhouse stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.64, for a total value of $585,508.56. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 18,414 shares in the company, valued at $3,418,374.96. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher C. Colson sold 1,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.46, for a total transaction of $245,860.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,794,600. This trade represents a 12.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,905 shares of company stock valued at $3,198,367 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on TXRH shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Texas Roadhouse from $185.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Texas Roadhouse in a report on Thursday, December 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $213.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Texas Roadhouse from $200.00 to $180.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Wedbush cut their price target on Texas Roadhouse from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Texas Roadhouse from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $192.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Texas Roadhouse has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.91.

About Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It also operates and franchises restaurants under the Texas Roadhouse, Bubba's 33, and Jaggers names in 49 states and ten internationally. Texas Roadhouse, Inc was founded in 1993 and is based in Louisville, Kentucky.