Domino’s Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) Earns “Equal Weight” Rating from Stephens

Stephens restated their equal weight rating on shares of Domino’s Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $440.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $440.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $520.00 target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $490.00 price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Domino’s Pizza from $402.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $503.41.

Domino’s Pizza Stock Performance

Domino’s Pizza stock opened at $468.35 on Wednesday. Domino’s Pizza has a fifty-two week low of $396.06 and a fifty-two week high of $542.75. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $461.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $442.65. The stock has a market cap of $16.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06.

Domino’s Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The restaurant operator reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.93 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.47 billion. Domino’s Pizza had a negative return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 12.26%. Domino’s Pizza’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.48 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Domino’s Pizza will post 16.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Domino’s Pizza Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $1.74 per share. This represents a $6.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. This is a boost from Domino’s Pizza’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Domino’s Pizza’s payout ratio is presently 41.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kevin Scott Morris sold 5,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.00, for a total value of $2,366,792.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $346,541. The trade was a 87.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly E. Garcia sold 2,104 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.28, for a total value of $917,933.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,486,359.72. This represents a 26.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,597 shares of company stock worth $3,762,052 in the last ninety days. 0.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Domino’s Pizza

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Domino’s Pizza during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 1,016.7% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 67 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 158.1% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 80 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 91 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 94.63% of the stock is currently 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.