Markel Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NASDAQ:DPZ)

Markel Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NASDAQ:DPZ) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Domino’s Pizza were worth $2,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the third quarter valued at approximately $549,399,000. FMR LLC raised its position in Domino’s Pizza by 16.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,189,836 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $941,936,000 after purchasing an additional 307,528 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the third quarter valued at approximately $99,352,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,701,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Domino’s Pizza by 75.3% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 214,473 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $92,253,000 after purchasing an additional 92,137 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.63% of the company’s stock.

Domino’s Pizza Price Performance

NASDAQ DPZ opened at $440.03 on Tuesday. Domino’s Pizza, Inc. has a 1 year low of $396.06 and a 1 year high of $542.75. The company has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $450.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $437.93.

Domino’s Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The restaurant operator reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.93 by ($0.04). Domino’s Pizza had a net margin of 12.26% and a negative return on equity of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Domino’s Pizza, Inc. will post 16.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Domino’s Pizza Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $1.74 dividend. This represents a $6.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Domino’s Pizza’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DPZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $490.00 target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $510.00 to $496.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $402.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $503.41.

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.