Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.10 EPS

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.10), FiscalAI reports. Jack In The Box had a negative net margin of 5.51% and a negative return on equity of 9.23%. The firm had revenue of $349.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $355.73 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Jack In The Box’s conference call:

• Completed the sale of Del Taco and used proceeds to partially pay down debt (a $105M prepayment); total debt was $1.6B at quarter-end and management plans an additional $200M of paydowns under the Jack OnTrack plan.
• System same-store sales fell 6.7% (franchise -7.0%, company -4.7%) and consolidated adjusted EBITDA dropped to $68.2M from $88.8M, with restaurant-level margin compressing to 16.1% from 23.2%, signaling near-term performance pressure.
• Management cites early sequential improvement beginning in January and strong consumer response to 75th‑anniversary activations (e.g., Munchie Meals and collectible Jibbies), which lifted average checks and supports reaffirmed guidance for steady improvement through 2026.
• Operational initiatives under “Jack’s Way” — a restructured field support team, aligned training and audits, completed POS/back‑of‑house tech rollouts, and low‑cost restaurant mini‑refresh tests (sub‑$20K) — are delivering early efficiency and low single‑digit sales lifts in pilots.
• Input costs pressured margins in Q1 — food and packaging rose to 29.7% of sales (a 380bp increase) from ~7.1% commodity inflation with beef up double digits, while labor and occupancy also increased; management expects commodity pressure to moderate but remains a headwind near term.

Jack In The Box Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JACK opened at $22.01 on Thursday. Jack In The Box has a 1 year low of $13.99 and a 1 year high of $41.09. The firm has a market cap of $420.39 million, a PE ratio of -5.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sarah L. Super sold 2,114 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total transaction of $40,335.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 32,640 shares in the company, valued at $622,771.20. The trade was a 6.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Richard D. Cook sold 1,787 shares of Jack In The Box stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.08, for a total transaction of $34,095.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 27,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $518,842.44. This represents a 6.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,462 shares of company stock worth $247,352 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Jack In The Box

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Jack In The Box by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC now owns 107,267 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 17,411 shares during the period. Readystate Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Jack In The Box during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,268,000. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Jack In The Box in the 4th quarter worth approximately $100,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new position in Jack In The Box in the 4th quarter valued at $5,591,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Jack In The Box by 402.4% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 118,764 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after purchasing an additional 95,125 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Jack In The Box from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Jack In The Box from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Jack In The Box from $17.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.60.

Jack In The Box Company Profile

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.