Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Upgraded to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Jack In The Box from “sell” to “hold,” aligning with the broader analyst consensus of “Hold.” The consensus price target is $15.84.
• Jack In The Box reported quarterly EPS of $0.76, slightly exceeding estimates, but revenue fell 24.5% year over year to $254.26 million and trailed expectations.
• Director Guillermo Diaz Jr. purchased 5,962 shares at an average price of $11.51, increasing his ownership by 40.48%; institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $12.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Jack In The Box in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $15.00 target price on shares of Jack In The Box in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Jack In The Box from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $15.84.

Jack In The Box Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ JACK opened at $16.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $312.18 million, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.38. Jack In The Box has a twelve month low of $8.91 and a twelve month high of $23.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.90.

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

Insider Activity

In other Jack In The Box news, Director Guillermo Diaz, Jr. purchased 5,962 shares of Jack In The Box stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.51 per share, with a total value of $68,622.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at $238,164.92. This trade represents a 40.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jack In The Box

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Jack In The Box by 322.6% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,475 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after buying 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 third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 3,604.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,852 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,802 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 882.5% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,144 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,824 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 3,152 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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