Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Jack In The Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $18.89 and traded as high as $20.65. Jack In The Box shares last traded at $20.58, with a volume of 749,808 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on JACK. Zacks Research lowered shares of Jack In The Box from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Northcoast Research raised shares of Jack In The Box from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Jack In The Box in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Jack In The Box from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Jack In The Box from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.33.

Jack In The Box Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $17.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $388.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The restaurant operator reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.16). Jack In The Box had a negative return on equity of 9.23% and a negative net margin of 5.51%.The business had revenue of $326.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $324.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Jack In The Box Inc. will post 5.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Carl Mount sold 1,393 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.00, for a total value of $26,467.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $366,700. This represents a 6.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Richard D. Cook sold 1,787 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total value of $34,095.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $518,842.44. This trade represents a 6.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,486 shares of company stock worth $162,039 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jack In The Box

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Jack In The Box by 165.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 96.7% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,420 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jack In The Box during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Jack In The Box by 136.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,318 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 882.5% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,144 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,824 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Jack In The Box

Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK) is a publicly traded quick-service restaurant company best known for its Jack in the Box brand of fast-food restaurants. Founded in 1951 by Robert O. Peterson and headquartered in San Diego, California, the company has operated for decades as a franchisor and operator of drive-thru and dine-in restaurants. Its business model combines company-owned locations with franchise arrangements, and the company focuses on building brand recognition through menu innovation, marketing and service convenience.

The company’s core offerings center on a broad fast-food menu that includes hamburgers (notably the Jumbo Jack), tacos, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, sides and specialty limited-time items.