Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $435.97, but opened at $458.55. Domino’s Pizza shares last traded at $445.11, with a volume of 477,502 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on DPZ shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $490.00 price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research report on Friday, October 11th. BTIG Research dropped their price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $580.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $450.00 to $420.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $485.00 to $460.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $494.38.

Domino’s Pizza Trading Down 1.3 %

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $423.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $458.03. The company has a market capitalization of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.86.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 10th. The restaurant operator reported $4.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.54. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Domino’s Pizza had a negative return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 12.26%. Domino’s Pizza’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.18 EPS. Analysts expect that Domino’s Pizza, Inc. will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

Domino’s Pizza Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.10%.

Insider Activity at Domino’s Pizza

In related news, Director Andrew Balson sold 6,970 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $428.27, for a total value of $2,985,041.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 15,390 shares in the company, valued at $6,591,075.30. This represents a 31.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Domino’s Pizza

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Domino’s Pizza by 2,033.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 64 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Domino’s Pizza during the third quarter worth $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Domino’s Pizza by 162.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 63 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Domino’s Pizza during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Domino’s Pizza by 654.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 83 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.63% of the company’s stock.

About Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s Pizza, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a pizza company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Stores, International Franchise, and Supply Chain. It offers pizzas under the Domino’s brand name through company-owned and franchised stores.