Ruffer LLP Invests $3.22 Million in Jack In The Box Inc. $JACK

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP initiated a new stake of 169,792 shares in Jack In The Box in Q4, worth about $3.22 million, representing approximately 0.89% of the company.
• Jack In The Box recently missed quarterly expectations (EPS $1.00 vs. $1.10 consensus; revenue $349.5M vs. $355.7M), has negative net margin and ROE, and the stock carries a consensus "Hold" rating with a $22.18 price target while trading near $12.70.

Ruffer LLP bought a new position in Jack In The Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 169,792 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $3,223,000. Ruffer LLP owned approximately 0.89% of Jack In The Box at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JACK. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 165.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 96.7% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Jack In The Box in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 136.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,318 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Jack In The Box news, CEO Lance F. Tucker sold 3,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total transaction of $68,764.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 204,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,454,804.44. This represents a 1.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Jack In The Box in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Jack In The Box from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Jack In The Box currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $22.18.

Jack In The Box Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ JACK opened at $12.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $241.81 million, a PE ratio of -2.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.32. Jack In The Box Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.91 and a 52 week high of $29.40. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $13.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.25.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $349.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $355.73 million. Jack In The Box had a negative net margin of 8.69% and a negative return on equity of 7.12%. Jack In The Box's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.86 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Jack In The Box Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Jack In The Box Company Profile

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.

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