Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 2,686 Shares of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 93,335 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,686 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.49% of Jack in the Box worth $3,886,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Jack in the Box by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 738,297 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,244,000 after purchasing an additional 25,881 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Jack in the Box by 2.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 388,510 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $18,081,000 after purchasing an additional 8,038 shares during the period. Clearline Capital LP grew its holdings in Jack in the Box by 4.1% during the third quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 260,730 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,134,000 after purchasing an additional 10,304 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP bought a new position in Jack in the Box during the third quarter worth about $11,802,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Jack in the Box by 70.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 216,117 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,060,000 after purchasing an additional 89,649 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Jack in the Box Price Performance

Shares of JACK opened at $36.14 on Wednesday. Jack in the Box Inc. has a one year low of $32.69 and a one year high of $75.57. The company has a market cap of $681.53 million, a P/E ratio of -18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.02.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $469.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $470.47 million. Jack in the Box had a negative net margin of 2.34% and a negative return on equity of 15.79%. On average, analysts expect that Jack in the Box Inc. will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.87%. Jack in the Box’s payout ratio is presently -82.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Jack in the Box news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total transaction of $68,397.76. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 16,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $681,343.80. The trade was a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wedbush downgraded shares of Jack in the Box from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $50.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.56.

Jack in the Box Profile

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.