Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on JACK. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $15.00 price target on Jack In The Box in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Guggenheim downgraded Jack In The Box from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.84.

Jack In The Box Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:JACK opened at $16.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $312.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $13.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.90. Jack In The Box has a 52 week low of $8.91 and a 52 week high of $23.86.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $254.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $256.55 million. Jack In The Box had a net margin of 2.82% and a negative return on equity of 6.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 24.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jack In The Box will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Guillermo Diaz, Jr. purchased 5,962 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.51 per share, for a total transaction of $68,622.62. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 20,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $238,164.92. This represents a 40.48% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 322.6% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,475 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 96.7% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,802 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 882.5% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,144 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,824 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 106.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 3,152 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.