Ruffer LLP Invests $3.22 Million in Jack In The Box Inc. $JACK

Ruffer LLP purchased a new position in Jack In The Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 169,792 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $3,223,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Callodine Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 4.7% in the third quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP now owns 1,695,504 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,520,000 after buying an additional 75,572 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 192.9% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 744,141 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $14,712,000 after buying an additional 490,071 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 45.5% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 389,327 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,697,000 after buying an additional 121,752 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jack In The Box by 5.9% in the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 312,842 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,185,000 after buying an additional 17,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Jack In The Box by 519.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 241,444 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,773,000 after purchasing an additional 202,469 shares during the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Jack In The Box Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JACK opened at $12.70 on Wednesday. Jack In The Box Inc. has a one year low of $8.91 and a one year high of $29.40. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.81 million, a P/E ratio of -2.07, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.32.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.10). Jack In The Box had a negative net margin of 8.69% and a negative return on equity of 7.12%. The business had revenue of $349.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.73 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Jack In The Box Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Lance F. Tucker sold 3,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.83, for a total value of $68,764.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 204,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,454,804.44. This trade represents a 1.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JACK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Jack In The Box in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Jack In The Box from $18.00 to $10.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Jack In The Box in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Jack In The Box from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Jack In The Box currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.18.

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.