Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $435.97, but opened at $458.55. Domino’s Pizza shares last traded at $445.11, with a volume of 477,502 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DPZ shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Loop Capital upgraded Domino’s Pizza from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $419.00 to $559.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $450.00 to $420.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $455.00 to $450.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $510.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Domino’s Pizza has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $494.38.

Domino’s Pizza Stock Up 2.0 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $423.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $459.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.86.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 10th. The restaurant operator reported $4.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.65 by $0.54. Domino’s Pizza had a negative return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 12.26%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.18 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Domino’s Pizza, Inc. will post 16.86 EPS for the current year.

Domino’s Pizza Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.10%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Andrew Balson sold 6,970 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $428.27, for a total transaction of $2,985,041.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,390 shares in the company, valued at $6,591,075.30. This trade represents a 31.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Domino’s Pizza

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DPZ. Ingalls & Snyder LLC purchased a new position in Domino’s Pizza in the third quarter worth about $269,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its position in Domino’s Pizza by 35.4% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 1,147 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Domino’s Pizza by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,893 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,533,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 6,050 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,602,000 after purchasing an additional 2,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Domino’s Pizza in the third quarter worth $1,154,000. 94.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s Pizza, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a pizza company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Stores, International Franchise, and Supply Chain. It offers pizzas under the Domino’s brand name through company-owned and franchised stores.