Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Trading Down 6.6% – Time to Sell?

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK)’s share price traded down 6.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $35.36 and last traded at $34.95. Approximately 138,051 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 569,393 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Jack in the Box from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Jack in the Box from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Northcoast Research cut Jack in the Box from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.56.

Jack in the Box Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $649.39 million, a P/E ratio of -17.73, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.60.

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

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Jack in the Box’s payout ratio is presently -82.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jack in the Box

In other news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of Jack in the Box 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 owns 16,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $681,343.80. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jack in the Box

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Invenomic Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Jack in the Box in the third quarter valued at about $11,802,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Jack in the Box during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,655,000. IPG Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Jack in the Box by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 440,619 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $18,347,000 after acquiring an additional 163,834 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Jack in the Box by 178.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 196,740 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $8,192,000 after acquiring an additional 126,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Jack in the Box during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,249,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.