Jack in the Box Inc. (JACK) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.44 on April 8th

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 26th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of 0.44 per share by the restaurant operator on Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th.

Jack in the Box has increased its dividend by an average of 0.8% annually over the last three years. Jack in the Box has a payout ratio of 29.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Jack in the Box to earn $5.97 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.5%.

Jack in the Box Price Performance

JACK opened at $38.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $728.22 million, a PE ratio of -19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $39.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.52. Jack in the Box has a 1 year low of $32.69 and a 1 year high of $76.56.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $1.92 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $469.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $470.47 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jack in the Box will post 5.33 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total transaction of $68,397.76. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 16,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $681,343.80. The trade was a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 2,190 shares of company stock worth $92,961 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JACK shares. StockNews.com raised Jack in the Box from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Jack in the Box from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Jack in the Box from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wedbush lowered shares of Jack in the Box from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $50.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.56.

Jack in the Box Company Profile

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.