Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Jack in the Box in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital cut their target price on Jack in the Box from $87.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on Jack in the Box from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Jack in the Box in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.88.

Jack in the Box Stock Performance

Shares of JACK opened at $42.30 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $796.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $46.40 and its 200-day moving average is $48.51. Jack in the Box has a one year low of $38.12 and a one year high of $86.20.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.16%. Jack in the Box’s dividend payout ratio is -90.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total transaction of $68,397.76. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $681,343.80. This trade represents a 9.12 % 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,343 shares of company stock worth $100,601. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Jack in the Box by 8.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 245,491 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,505,000 after buying an additional 18,874 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,997 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Jack in the Box by 261.5% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 557,667 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,408,000 after purchasing an additional 403,423 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Jack in the Box by 39.4% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 14,095 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $718,000 after purchasing an additional 3,986 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Jack in the Box by 347.7% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 6,349 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 4,931 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Jack in the Box

Jack in the Box Inc operates and franchises Jack in the Box and Del Taco quick-service restaurants in the United States. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.