Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Northcoast Research raised Jack In The Box from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Jack In The Box from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Jack In The Box in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.10.

Jack In The Box Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:JACK opened at $21.17 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.22. Jack In The Box has a twelve month low of $13.99 and a twelve month high of $44.15. The company has a market capitalization of $400.11 million, a PE ratio of -4.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.16 earnings per share. Jack In The Box’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Jack In The Box will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Richard D. Cook sold 1,787 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total transaction of $34,095.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $518,842.44. The trade was a 6.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sarah L. Super sold 2,114 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total transaction of $40,335.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 32,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $622,771.20. This trade represents a 6.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,466 shares of company stock worth $181,110. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 165.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 96.7% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jack In The Box in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 136.0% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,318 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Jack In The Box by 882.5% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,144 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,824 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

About Jack In The Box

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.