Wall Street Zen Upgrades Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) to “Hold”

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Jack In The Box from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Jack In The Box from $27.00 to $22.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Jack In The Box from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.84.

Jack In The Box Price Performance

Shares of JACK opened at $16.37 on Friday. Jack In The Box has a 1-year low of $8.91 and a 1-year high of $23.86. The stock has a market cap of $312.18 million, a PE ratio of 8.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.84.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. Jack In The Box had a net margin of 2.82% and a negative return on equity of 6.34%. The company had revenue of $254.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $256.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.20 earnings per share. Jack In The Box’s revenue for the quarter was down 24.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Jack In The Box will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Guillermo Diaz, Jr. purchased 5,962 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $68,622.62. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,692 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $238,164.92. The trade was a 40.48% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JACK. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 1,990.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 117,457 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,226,000 after purchasing an additional 111,838 shares during the period. Maxi Investments CY Ltd purchased a new position in Jack In The Box in the 4th quarter valued at $2,263,000. Ruffer LLP acquired a new position in Jack In The Box in the 4th quarter valued at $3,223,000. Seven Six Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Jack In The Box by 53.0% in the 1st quarter. Seven Six Capital Management LLC now owns 181,150 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,752,000 after buying an additional 62,750 shares during the period. Finally, Callodine Capital Management LP raised its position in Jack In The Box by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP now owns 1,760,470 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $17,024,000 after buying an additional 59,966 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.