Jack In The Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Jack In The Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.7222.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Jack In The Box from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Jack In The Box in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen set a $16.00 target price on Jack In The Box in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $23.00 price target on shares of Jack In The Box in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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 report on Thursday, November 20th.

Jack In The Box Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:JACK opened at $13.37 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $254.51 million, a P/E ratio of -2.17, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.16. Jack In The Box has a 12 month low of $13.13 and a 12 month high of $34.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.85.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Jack In The Box

In related news, CEO Lance F. Tucker sold 3,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $68,764.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 204,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,454,804.44. This trade represents a 1.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 4,681 shares of company stock valued at $99,004 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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 stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 165.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 322.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,475 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 1,126 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Jack In The Box by 3,604.0% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Jack In The Box during the third quarter worth about $42,000. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.