Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $26.69 and last traded at $27.19, with a volume of 997486 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JACK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $60.00 to $52.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Jack in the Box from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays decreased their price target on Jack in the Box from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wedbush cut shares of Jack in the Box from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $50.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.25.

Jack in the Box Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.82. The company has a market capitalization of $512.75 million, a PE ratio of -13.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.95.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $469.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $470.47 million. Jack in the Box had a negative return on equity of 15.79% and a negative net margin of 2.34%. Equities research analysts expect that Jack in the Box Inc. will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jack in the Box Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.47%. Jack in the Box’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -82.63%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jack in the Box

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Jack in the Box in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,945,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Jack in the Box during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $427,000. PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in Jack in the Box during the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Jack in the Box in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Novem Group purchased a new position in shares of Jack in the Box during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Jack in the Box Company Profile

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.