Domino’s Pizza’s (DPZ) “Equal Weight” Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

Stephens reissued their equal weight rating on shares of Domino’s Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $440.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on DPZ. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $490.00 price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on Domino’s Pizza from $402.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $545.00 to $510.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Domino’s Pizza from $490.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $503.41.

Domino’s Pizza Price Performance

NASDAQ DPZ opened at $444.21 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $461.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $443.04. Domino’s Pizza has a one year low of $396.06 and a one year high of $542.75. The firm has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a PE ratio of 27.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15.

Domino’s Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The restaurant operator reported $4.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.93 by ($0.04). Domino’s Pizza had a negative return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 12.26%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.48 EPS. Domino’s Pizza’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Domino’s Pizza will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Domino’s Pizza Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $1.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Domino’s Pizza’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. Domino’s Pizza’s payout ratio is currently 41.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Domino’s Pizza news, EVP Kelly E. Garcia sold 2,104 shares of Domino’s Pizza stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.28, for a total value of $917,933.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,486,359.72. The trade was a 26.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kevin Scott Morris sold 5,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.00, for a total transaction of $2,366,792.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $346,541. This represents a 87.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,996 shares of company stock worth $3,946,461 over the last ninety days. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Domino’s Pizza

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Domino’s Pizza in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 1,016.7% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 67 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Domino’s Pizza by 158.1% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 80 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Domino’s Pizza by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 91 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.63% of the company’s stock.

About Domino’s Pizza

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.