Domino's Pizza Inc $DPZ Shares Bought by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc significantly increased its stake in Domino's Pizza by 106.1% during the first quarter, now owning 24,150 shares valued at approximately $11 million.
• Several other major hedge funds, including Berkshire Hathaway Inc, also boosted their investments in Domino's, with Berkshire Hathaway raising its stake by 86.5%.
• Analysts have responded positively, with price targets for Domino's Pizza increasing, including a rating upgrade from Hsbc Global Res to a "strong-buy" and a new target price set at $540.00 by BMO Capital Markets.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in Domino's Pizza Inc (NASDAQ:DPZ - Free Report) by 106.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,150 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 12,431 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.07% of Domino's Pizza worth $11,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Domino's Pizza by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 672 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. AGP Franklin LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Domino's Pizza by 0.4% in the first quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 5,128 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,403,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Domino's Pizza by 16.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 174 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Domino's Pizza by 4.4% during the first quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 587 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Domino's Pizza by 1.1% during the first quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,382 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 94.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DPZ shares. BTIG Research set a $530.00 price objective on Domino's Pizza and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Domino's Pizza in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $340.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Domino's Pizza from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $550.00 to $500.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Domino's Pizza from $564.00 to $574.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, TD Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $490.00 target price on shares of Domino's Pizza in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $489.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James A. Goldman sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.49, for a total value of $451,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,527,842.16. The trade was a 22.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.83% of the company's stock.

Domino's Pizza Stock Performance

NASDAQ:DPZ traded up $9.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $460.66. 817,738 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 654,291. The company has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $457.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $465.06. Domino's Pizza Inc has a 1 year low of $396.06 and a 1 year high of $500.55.

Domino's Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The restaurant operator reported $3.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.93 by ($0.12). Domino's Pizza had a net margin of 12.49% and a negative return on equity of 15.09%. The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Domino's Pizza Inc will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Domino's Pizza Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.74 per share. This represents a $6.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Domino's Pizza's dividend payout ratio is 40.42%.

Domino's Pizza Profile

Domino's Pizza, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a pizza company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Stores, International Franchise, and Supply Chain. It offers pizzas under the Domino's brand name through company-owned and franchised stores.