Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

JACK has been the topic of several other reports. Northcoast Research lowered shares of Jack in the Box from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.06.

Jack in the Box Stock Down 2.2 %

NASDAQ:JACK opened at $38.13 on Tuesday. Jack in the Box has a twelve month low of $37.01 and a twelve month high of $83.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $718.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $45.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.81.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. Jack in the Box’s payout ratio is presently -90.26%.

Insider Transactions at Jack in the Box

In other news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total value of $68,397.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 16,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $681,343.80. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,343 shares of company stock valued at $100,601. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jack in the Box

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Jack in the Box by 3.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 9,733 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Jack in the Box by 229.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in Jack in the Box during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its holdings 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 worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently 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.