RCI Hospitality (NASDAQ:RICK) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

RCI Hospitality (NASDAQ:RICK) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of RCI Hospitality in a report on Monday, February 12th. TheStreet downgraded RCI Hospitality from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th.

RCI Hospitality Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RICK traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $58.00. 43,573 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 48,477. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.75. RCI Hospitality has a 52-week low of $50.43 and a 52-week high of $79.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $542.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.79, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $57.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.03.

RCI Hospitality (NASDAQ:RICK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $73.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $73.30 million. RCI Hospitality had a return on equity of 10.67% and a net margin of 8.81%. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that RCI Hospitality will post 4.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at RCI Hospitality

In other RCI Hospitality news, CEO Eric Scott Langan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $54.54 per share, with a total value of $54,540.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 703,000 shares in the company, valued at $38,341,620. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 8.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RCI Hospitality

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RICK. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new position in RCI Hospitality in the 1st quarter valued at about $459,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in RCI Hospitality by 54.8% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 4,070 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of RCI Hospitality during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,024,000. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of RCI Hospitality by 2.5% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 548,393 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,705,000 after purchasing an additional 13,495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of RCI Hospitality in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 53.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About RCI Hospitality

RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the hospitality and related businesses in the United States. It operates in Nightclubs, Bombshells, and Media Group segments. The company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries own and/or operates upscale adult nightclubs serving primarily businessmen and professionals under the Rick's Cabaret, Jaguars Club, Tootsie's Cabaret, XTC Cabaret, Club Onyx, Hoops Cabaret and Sports Bar, Scarlett's Cabaret, Temptations Adult Cabaret, Foxy's Cabaret, Vivid Cabaret, Downtown Cabaret, Cabaret East, The Seville, Silver City Cabaret, and Kappa Men's Club.