Short Interest in Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) Rises By 10.9%

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,930,000 shares, an increase of 10.9% from the December 15th total of 1,740,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 591,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 10.6% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on JACK shares. Wedbush reduced their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $51.00 to $46.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $55.00 to $47.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Jack in the Box from $95.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Jack in the Box from $52.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.76.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total value of $68,397.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 16,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $681,343.80. This trade represents a 9.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,343 shares of company stock valued at $100,601. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aigen Investment Management LP raised its stake in shares of Jack in the Box by 238.5% during the 3rd quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 21,869 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,018,000 after buying an additional 15,409 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Jack in the Box by 70.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 216,117 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,060,000 after purchasing an additional 89,649 shares during the last quarter. Biglari Sardar raised its stake in Jack in the Box by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter. Biglari Sardar now owns 96,717 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,501,000 after purchasing an additional 12,000 shares during the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Jack in the Box in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,475,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in Jack in the Box by 111.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 81,691 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,802,000 after purchasing an additional 43,086 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Jack in the Box Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JACK traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $38.66. 609,625 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 599,440. The stock has a market cap of $727.97 million, a P/E ratio of -19.83, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.94. Jack in the Box has a twelve month low of $36.36 and a twelve month high of $81.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $43.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.31.

Jack in the Box Dividend Announcement

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

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.