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

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

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Barclays upped their target price on Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen set a $16.00 target price on shares of Jack In The Box in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Jack In The Box from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.37.

Jack In The Box Price Performance

Shares of JACK opened at $16.81 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.13. The stock has a market cap of $320.06 million, a PE ratio of -2.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.14. Jack In The Box has a 1-year low of $13.99 and a 1-year high of $41.09.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.10). Jack In The Box had a negative return on equity of 7.12% and a negative net margin of 8.69%.The business had revenue of $349.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $355.73 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.86 EPS. Jack In The Box’s quarterly revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Jack In The Box will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Jack In The Box

In other Jack In The Box news, SVP Carl Mount sold 1,393 shares of Jack In The Box stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $26,467.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,300 shares in the company, valued at $366,700. The trade was a 6.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Steven Piano sold 1,491 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total transaction of $28,448.28. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 27,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $516,171.24. This trade represents a 5.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 12,462 shares of company stock valued at $247,352 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jack In The Box

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Jack In The Box by 165.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 322.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,475 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 96.7% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Jack In The Box by 3,604.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,852 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,802 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Jack In The Box in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Jack In The Box

Here are the key news stories impacting Jack In The Box this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $23 to $24, implying upside versus current levels and signaling at least some analyst confidence in recovery potential. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary (MarketBeat) highlights a possible turnaround plan — debt repayment, portfolio rationalization and operational fixes could restore margins and capital returns over time, giving longer‑term upside if execution improves. (MarketBeat coverage)
• Positive Sentiment: Menu/news catalyst: Jack in the Box launched a nationwide matcha beverage lineup, a marketing/traffic initiative that could help drive visits and digital engagement if it resonates with customers. Business Wire
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/metrics reviews: Zacks and other outlets are parsing Q1 beats/misses and key metrics versus estimates — useful for modeling but not a direct new catalyst. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting appears inconsistent in the data releases (entries show a “large increase” but list zero shares/NaN). As reported, coverage ratios look negligible — this seems like a data glitch, so any short‑squeeze thesis is currently unconfirmed.
• Negative Sentiment: Activist pressure: Biglari Capital (largest shareholder, ~9.86%) issued a public statement criticizing Q1 results and urging votes against Chairman David Goebel — this raises governance uncertainty and could weigh on the stock while proxy/board issues unfold. PR Newswire
• Negative Sentiment: Weak quarter: Q1 revenue fell ~5.8%, same-store sales declined materially, and the company swung to a loss and missed EPS estimates — these operational weaknesses are the primary driver of today’s selloff. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and commentary (Restaurant Business / Restaurant Dive) emphasize a “tough quarter” and management moves (store closures, cost/brand challenges), reinforcing near-term revenue and margin headwinds. Restaurant Business Restaurant Dive

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.