Short Interest in Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) Expands By 5.5%

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,290,000 shares, a growth of 5.5% from the November 30th total of 2,170,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 590,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 6.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Domino’s Pizza Stock Performance

Domino’s Pizza stock opened at $434.93 on Friday. Domino’s Pizza has a one year low of $395.08 and a one year high of $542.75. The stock has a market cap of $15.02 billion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $442.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $442.40.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 10th. The restaurant operator reported $4.19 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 12.26% and a negative return on equity of 14.35%. Domino’s Pizza’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Domino’s Pizza will post 16.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Domino’s Pizza Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on DPZ shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $455.00 to $450.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. BTIG Research dropped their target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $580.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $580.00 to $535.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Stephens lowered their price target on Domino’s Pizza from $430.00 to $420.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Domino’s Pizza from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Domino’s Pizza has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $495.76.

Insider Transactions at Domino’s Pizza

In related news, EVP Kevin Scott Morris sold 2,646 shares of Domino’s Pizza stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.00, for a total value of $1,214,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $902,394. This trade represents a 57.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrew Balson sold 6,970 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 15,390 shares in the company, valued at $6,591,075.30. The trade was a 31.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Domino’s Pizza

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,649,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Domino’s Pizza by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,571,000 after acquiring an additional 8,103 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 737.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 57,441 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $24,708,000 after acquiring an additional 50,579 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 26.3% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 3,936 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,785,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the period. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 11.5% in the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,227,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the period. 94.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.