Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Trading Up 2.5% – Should You Buy?

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued 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. Wedbush cut their price target on Jack in the Box from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Jack in the Box from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $95.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $59.88.

Jack in the Box Stock Up 3.6 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $46.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.69. The company has a market capitalization of $790.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.92.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Jack in the Box

In related news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of Jack in the Box stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total value of $68,397.76. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,343 shares of company stock valued at $100,601. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Jack in the Box by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 712,416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,156,000 after purchasing an additional 85,461 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Jack in the Box by 261.5% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 557,667 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,408,000 after buying an additional 403,423 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 2.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 388,510 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $18,081,000 after buying an additional 8,038 shares in the last quarter. Clearline Capital LP raised its position in Jack in the Box by 4.1% during the third quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 260,730 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,134,000 after buying an additional 10,304 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Jack in the Box in the 3rd quarter worth about $11,802,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.