Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,290,000 shares, a growth of 5.5% from the November 30th total of 2,170,000 shares. Approximately 6.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 590,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Domino’s Pizza Stock Performance

NYSE DPZ opened at $419.76 on Thursday. Domino’s Pizza has a fifty-two week low of $395.08 and a fifty-two week high of $542.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $441.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $442.46.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 10th. The restaurant operator reported $4.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.54. Domino’s Pizza had a net margin of 12.26% and a negative return on equity of 14.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.18 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Domino’s Pizza will post 16.82 EPS for the current year.

Domino’s Pizza Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Domino’s Pizza news, Director Andrew Balson sold 6,970 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 15,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,591,075.30. This trade represents a 31.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kevin Scott Morris sold 2,646 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.00, for a total value of $1,214,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $902,394. This trade represents a 57.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Domino’s Pizza

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Domino’s Pizza by 2,033.3% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 64 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Domino’s Pizza during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new stake in shares of Domino’s Pizza during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Domino’s Pizza by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 126 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Domino’s Pizza by 195.6% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 133 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DPZ shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Domino’s Pizza from $580.00 to $535.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $485.00 to $460.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $450.00 to $420.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $475.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $470.00 to $450.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $495.76.

Domino’s Pizza Company Profile

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.