Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Stock Price Down 3.6% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) were down 3.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $38.16 and last traded at $38.16. Approximately 33,946 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 565,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Loop Capital reduced their price target on Jack in the Box from $87.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $52.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $47.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $57.76.

Jack in the Box Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $727.97 million, a P/E ratio of -19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $43.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.31.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.55%. Jack in the Box’s payout ratio is -90.26%.

Insider Transactions at Jack in the Box

In other news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total transaction of $68,397.76. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $681,343.80. This represents a 9.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,343 shares of company stock worth $100,601. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 6.5% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 98,975 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,042,000 after buying an additional 6,064 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in Jack in the Box by 31.9% during the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 7,647 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 1,851 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Jack in the Box in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $509,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 46.6% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 13,414 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 4,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Jack in the Box by 70.2% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 23,648 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after buying an additional 9,750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Jack in the Box Company Profile

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.