CARTERS INC (CRI)
Consumer Discretionary · Apparel Retail & Branding · NYSE
Carter’s is a leading designer and marketer of children's apparel and accessories, recognized for its heritage brands including Carter's, OshKosh B'gosh, and Skip Hop.
What CARTERS INC does
Carter’s is a branded marketer of apparel for babies and young children, operating under the Carter's, OshKosh B'gosh, and Skip Hop brands. The company sells its products through its own retail stores and e-commerce websites, as well as through major department stores, national chain stores, and specialty retailers. Its business model spans product design, sourcing, wholesale distribution, and direct-to-consumer retail.
Themes: children's apparel, omnichannel retail, consumer discretionary, brand licensing
Fundamentals
- Price$35.77 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$1.3B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+41.3% 2025-08-21 close $25.32 → 2026-08-21 close $35.77
- P/E7.29 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+6.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+52.9% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+20.8% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.55 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+5.2% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)-2.5% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.84 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-07-31 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +4.4%; at least 1 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How CRI compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiobottom 10% 266 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 331 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitymiddle range 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRbottom 25% 325 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- indicated dividend yieldtop 25% 162 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2026
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2026)
Covered by reported results. In FY2026, CRI's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 61%, free-cash-flow payout 82%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout61% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout82% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2026 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How CARTERS INC looks technically
CARTERS INC (CRI) is trading 1.2% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 157 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 9, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 33, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 6 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative). It just made a new 20-day low, its first since 2026-05-19, breaking below its recent trading range. It is 19.5% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 1.2% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -1.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $39.64 | $39.64 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $36.20 | $36.20 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 18 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 18 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes above 41.26. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 157 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 157 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 9, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 9.4 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 33, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 32.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($35.24 to $41.22) — its "stochastic" reading is 9 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 8.8 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 6 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 6 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $44.44 | $44.44 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 19.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -19.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 44.8% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +44.8% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 19.5% below its highest point of the past year | 19.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it just made a new 20-day low, its first since 2026-05-19, breaking below its recent trading range | 1 session |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it just made a new 55-day low, its first since 2026-05-19, breaking below its recent trading range | 1 session |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $129.00 (set on 2018-01-25) | $129.00 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($25.32 to $44.37), and it has given back around half of its rise from last year’s low — 45% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $31.99 to $32.60. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 45.1% |
| From the all-time high | it is 72.3% below its all-time high | -72.3% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.6% above a support level at $35.58 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-03-17, most recently on 2026-07-31. Since 2024-08-21 it has 7 such levels below the current price and 7 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.6% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $11.94 (set on 2008-07-16) | $11.94 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 199.7% above its all-time low | +199.7% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 72% of it) | 28th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $1.55 between its high and its low — about 4.3% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $1.55 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $36.18 and $41.30 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $36.18 – $38.74 – $41.30 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.3% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.3% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 0.3 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (1.2% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 0.3 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.42× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a doji | 2 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 2 sessions ago |
|---|
Price gaps
2
| Open gap | it gapped 2.7% below the previous close 38 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 43.35 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -2.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 2.5% gap down opened on 2026-08-04 has been "filled" 13 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 13 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed lower 6 sessions in a row, a -8.63% move over the run — an unbroken run of down days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 6 sessions down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 10.0 percentage points (the stock lost 7.6% while the market gained 2.3%) | -10.0% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 7.9 percentage points (the stock lost 4.8% while the market gained 3.1%) | -7.9% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 30.4 percentage points (the stock lost 19.4% while the market gained 11.1%) | -30.4% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 20.8 percentage points (the stock gained 41.3% while the market gained 20.5%) | +20.8% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: trading below its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day low, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 6.4% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 5.2% of the share price. | -6.4% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 4% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $37.28 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -4.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 8% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-31 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $38.74 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 16 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -7.7% |
Price levels it has turned at before
CRI last closed at $35.77 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 7 prices below its last close and 7 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $35.58 | Support | 0.6% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-03-17 to 2026-07-31 |
| $34.81 | Support | 2.7% below the last close | turned there twice · 2025-10-27 to 2025-11-12 |
| $33.98 | Support | 5.0% below the last close | turned there six times · 2025-05-29 to 2026-04-08 |
| $38.99 | Resistance | 9.0% above the last close | turned there 7 times · 2025-03-17 to 2026-05-06 |
| $41.07 | Resistance | 14.8% above the last close | turned there four times · 2026-04-21 to 2026-08-03 |
| $41.95 | Resistance | 17.3% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-04-02 to 2026-07-13 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $41.26.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $31.12 and $34.99 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close above $41.26.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Broke down to a new 20-day low · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · On a losing streak (5+ lower closes in a row) · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (2.57 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 6 analysts
- Mean price target$42.67 range $30.00 – $53.00; median $41.50
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-19. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for CRI
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.8851 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-19
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Significant dependence on retail and wholesale channel performance","Vulnerability to fluctuations in consumer discretionary spending and economic conditions","Complexity and risks associated with global supply chain and sourcing operations"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of CRI's 10-Q filed 2026-05-06 against the prior one filed 2025-10-27.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Sensitivity tests on the Canada reporting unit showing 100 bps discount rate increase, 50 bps long-term revenue growth decrease, 250 bps revenue growth decrease, or 50 bps operating margin decrease would not result in impairment (filed 2026-05-06)
- Canada reporting unit goodwill carrying value of $38.0 million as of April 4, 2026 (filed 2026-05-06)
- Foreign currency exchange rates had $5.6 million favorable effect on consolidated net sales in first quarter of fiscal 2026 compared to first quarter of fiscal 2025 (filed 2026-05-06)
- Removed:
- Sensitivity tests on the U.S. Retail reporting unit with specified impairment charge amounts ($20 million, $30 million, $50 million) (filed 2025-10-27)
- Sensitivity tests on the Other International reporting unit with specified impairment charge amounts ($8 million, $3 million, $3 million) (filed 2025-10-27)
- Foreign currency translation effects for third quarter and first three quarters of fiscal 2025 ($0.2 million unfavorable and $9.7 million unfavorable) (filed 2025-10-27)
- Reference to 'condensed consolidated balance sheets' in translation adjustment disclosure (filed 2025-10-27)
- Reference to 'condensed consolidated statement of operations' in transaction gains/losses disclosure (filed 2025-10-27)
- Reference to 'condensed consolidated balance sheets' in long-term intercompany loan disclosure (filed 2025-10-27)
- Reworded:
- Older: 'We contract for production with third parties' changed to Newer: 'We contract to purchase product from third parties' (filed 2026-05-06)
- Older: 'contractors' changed to Newer: 'contracted manufacturers' (filed 2026-05-06)
- Older: 'secured revolving credit facility' changed to Newer: 'secured asset-based revolving credit facility' (filed 2026-05-06)
- Older: 'We generally can cancel these arrangements' changed to Newer: 'We can cancel these arrangements' (filed 2026-05-06)
- Older: 'Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer' changed to Newer: 'principal executive officer and principal financial officer' (lowercase) (filed 2026-05-06)
- Older reference date September 27, 2025 changed to Newer reference date April 4, 2026 throughout controls section (filed 2026-05-06)
- Notes:
- Comparison is between Q1 fiscal 2026 and Q3 fiscal 2025 filings, so some differences reflect different reporting periods and assumptions
- Different reporting units are discussed in impairment sections (Canada in newer vs. U.S. Retail and Other International in older), suggesting organizational changes or different goodwill composition
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales are on record for CRI — recent Form 4 activity was compensation-related (awards, option exercises, or tax withholding), not open-market buying or selling.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsOnly open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding CRI as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 7,634,156
- Reported value $272,997,432
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 1 new, 1 increased, 3 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
CRI had 3,107,744 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
CRI had 8.47% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 3.11 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 3,107,744
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 8.47%
- Prior settlement (shares) 3,725,657
- Reported change -16.59%
- Days to cover (reported) 3.11
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Children's Place (PLCE)
- Target (TGT)
- Walmart (WMT)
- Amazon (AMZN)
- Gap Inc. (GPS)
- H&M
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does CARTERS INC (CRI) do?
Carter’s is a branded marketer of apparel for babies and young children, operating under the Carter's, OshKosh B'gosh, and Skip Hop brands. The company sells its products through its own retail stores and e-commerce websites, as well as through major department stores, national chain stores, and specialty retailers. Its business model spans product design, sourcing, wholesale distribution, and direct-to-consumer retail.
What sector is CARTERS INC (CRI) in?
CARTERS INC (CRI) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is Apparel Retail & Branding. It trades on NYSE.
Does CRI pay a dividend?
Yes — CARTERS INC (CRI) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 4.43% and at least 1 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are CARTERS INC's (CRI) competitors?
Notable peers of CARTERS INC (CRI) include Children's Place, Target, Walmart, Amazon and Gap Inc.. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is CARTERS INC (CRI) overbought or oversold right now?
CARTERS INC (CRI) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 33, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on CRI come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.