Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on JACK. UBS Group boosted their target price on Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Jack In The Box from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $20.00 price objective on Jack In The Box in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Jack In The Box from $28.00 to $24.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Jack In The Box from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.10.

Jack In The Box Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JACK traded down $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $21.16. 298,610 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 520,756. The company’s 50-day moving average is $19.71 and its 200-day moving average is $19.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $404.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.96, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.13. Jack In The Box has a 52-week low of $13.99 and a 52-week high of $44.15.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $326.19 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $324.23 million. Jack In The Box had a negative net margin of 5.51% and a negative return on equity of 9.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Jack In The Box will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jack In The Box

In other news, CEO Lance F. Tucker bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.29 per share, for a total transaction of $86,450.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 84,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,461,955.95. This trade represents a 6.28% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Richard D. Cook sold 1,787 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total value of $34,095.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $518,842.44. This represents a 6.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,466 shares of company stock worth $181,110. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jack In The Box

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Jack In The Box by 45.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 389,327 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,697,000 after purchasing an additional 121,752 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Jack In The Box during the 4th quarter worth $2,043,000. Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in Jack In The Box by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 312,842 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,185,000 after acquiring an additional 17,300 shares in the last quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP lifted its position in Jack In The Box by 4.7% in the third quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP now owns 1,695,504 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,520,000 after acquiring an additional 75,572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FourThought Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Jack In The Box in the third quarter valued at $377,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jack In The Box Company Profile

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK) is a publicly traded quick-service restaurant company best known for its Jack in the Box brand of fast-food restaurants. Founded in 1951 by Robert O. Peterson and headquartered in San Diego, California, the company has operated for decades as a franchisor and operator of drive-thru and dine-in restaurants. Its business model combines company-owned locations with franchise arrangements, and the company focuses on building brand recognition through menu innovation, marketing and service convenience.

The company’s core offerings center on a broad fast-food menu that includes hamburgers (notably the Jumbo Jack), tacos, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, sides and specialty limited-time items.