Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $28.82 and last traded at $28.84, with a volume of 900466 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on JACK. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Jack in the Box from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Wedbush lowered Jack in the Box from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $50.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group cut their price objective on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jack in the Box has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.25.

Jack in the Box Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $539.90 million, a PE ratio of -14.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $36.77 and its 200 day moving average is $42.06.

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $469.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $470.47 million. Jack in the Box had a negative net margin of 2.34% and a negative return on equity of 15.79%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Jack in the Box Inc. will post 5.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.15%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Jack in the Box’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -82.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jack in the Box

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Jack in the Box by 96.7% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 899 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Jack in the Box in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Jack in the Box by 229.7% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 735 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Jack in the Box by 99.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,235 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Jack in the Box by 168.6% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,558 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 978 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.