Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) Short Interest Up 10.9% in December

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) saw a large increase in short interest in 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. Approximately 10.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 591,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on JACK. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Jack in the Box from $56.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on 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. Northcoast Research lowered shares of Jack in the Box from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Jack in the Box from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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 research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jack in the Box presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.76.

Insider Activity at Jack in the Box

In related news, SVP Sarah L. Super sold 1,688 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.52, for a total transaction of $68,397.76. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,343 shares of company stock valued at $100,601. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jack in the Box

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in Jack in the Box in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 735 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its position in Jack in the Box by 172.3% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,140 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,354 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jack in the Box in the third quarter valued at $185,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jack in the Box by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 4,852 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the period. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jack in the Box Price Performance

Shares of JACK stock opened at $38.66 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $43.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.30. Jack in the Box has a 1 year low of $36.36 and a 1 year high of $81.01. The company has a market cap of $727.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.83, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.94.

Jack in the Box Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.55%. Jack in the Box’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -90.26%.

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.