Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $28.82 and last traded at $28.84, with a volume of 900466 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on JACK. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Jack in the Box from $60.00 to $52.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush lowered shares of Jack in the Box from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $50.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.25.

Jack in the Box Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $543.86 million, a P/E ratio of -14.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.95. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.25.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $469.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $470.47 million. Jack in the Box had a negative net margin of 2.34% and a negative return on equity of 15.79%. Sell-side analysts predict that Jack in the Box Inc. will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.10%. Jack in the Box’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -82.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jack in the Box

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JACK. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Jack in the Box by 96.7% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 899 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Jack in the Box during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 229.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 99.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,235 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Jack in the Box by 168.6% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,558 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.