Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Shares Up 2.5% – Here’s Why

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) shares traded up 2.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $41.96 and last traded at $41.53. 136,054 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 522,180 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Jack in the Box in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of 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 reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Jack in the Box from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jack in the Box has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.88.

Jack in the Box Stock Up 3.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $790.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.92. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.69.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.19%. Jack in the Box’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -90.26%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 16,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $681,343.80. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,343 shares of company stock worth $100,601. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jack in the Box

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JACK. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in shares of Jack in the Box in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position in Jack in the Box by 172.3% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,140 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Jack in the Box in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $185,000. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in Jack in the Box by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,852 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Selway Asset Management acquired a new stake in Jack in the Box during the third quarter worth approximately $228,000. 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.