Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $30.54 and last traded at $30.74, with a volume of 535005 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $31.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on JACK shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Jack in the Box from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wedbush lowered shares of Jack in the Box from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $50.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Jack in the Box from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.56.

Jack in the Box Stock Down 0.8 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $37.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.76. The company has a market cap of $579.69 million, a P/E ratio of -15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.95.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.21. Jack in the Box had a negative net margin of 2.34% and a negative return on equity of 15.79%. The firm had revenue of $469.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $470.47 million. Analysts expect that Jack in the Box Inc. will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jack in the Box Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.73%. Jack in the Box’s payout ratio is -82.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jack in the Box

In other Jack in the Box news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total value of $68,397.76. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $681,343.80. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JACK. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Jack in the Box by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 738,297 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,244,000 after acquiring an additional 25,881 shares during the period. IPG Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 440,619 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $18,347,000 after purchasing an additional 163,834 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Jack in the Box by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 436,361 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $18,170,000 after purchasing an additional 47,851 shares during the period. Invenomic Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Jack in the Box by 40.7% in the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 356,757 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $14,855,000 after purchasing an additional 103,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearline Capital LP lifted its position in Jack in the Box by 4.1% in the third quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 260,730 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,134,000 after purchasing an additional 10,304 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

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.