Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) Stock Position Reduced by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,428,017 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 41,594 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.30% of Jack in the Box worth $167,679,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Jack in the Box by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 54,107 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,737,000 after buying an additional 1,597 shares during the period. Comerica Bank bought a new stake in Jack in the Box in the third quarter worth approximately $552,000. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in Jack in the Box in the third quarter worth approximately $366,000. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Jack in the Box by 20.7% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 270,299 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $18,667,000 after acquiring an additional 46,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Jack in the Box by 22.3% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 10,132 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,850 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on JACK. Wedbush raised shares of Jack in the Box from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. TD Cowen reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Jack in the Box in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $86.00 to $80.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $86.83.

Jack in the Box Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ:JACK traded down $0.91 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $67.57. 396,709 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 395,781. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.76. Jack in the Box Inc. has a twelve month low of $60.43 and a twelve month high of $99.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $73.84 and a 200 day moving average of $72.86.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 21st. The restaurant operator reported $1.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95. Jack in the Box had a net margin of 7.03% and a negative return on equity of 17.24%. The company had revenue of $487.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $480.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The business's revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Jack in the Box Inc. will post 6.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jack in the Box Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Jack in the Box's dividend payout ratio is 30.93%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael W. Murphy sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.58, for a total transaction of $96,676.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 71,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,155,720.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

About Jack in the Box

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.