Short Interest in Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) Drops By 7.6%

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) saw a large drop in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,700,000 shares, a drop of 7.6% from the September 30th total of 1,840,000 shares. Approximately 5.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 653,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Domino’s Pizza Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE DPZ traded up $12.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $425.83. 667,820 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 608,707. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $418.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $462.32. Domino’s Pizza has a 52 week low of $345.76 and a 52 week high of $542.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.86.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 10th. The restaurant operator reported $4.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.65 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Domino’s Pizza had a negative return on equity of 14.35% and a net margin of 12.26%. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Domino’s Pizza will post 16.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Domino’s Pizza Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.10%.

Insider Activity at Domino’s Pizza

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 value of $2,985,041.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,591,075.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Domino’s Pizza

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 162.5% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 63 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 654.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 83 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of Domino’s Pizza during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. 94.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective 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. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $475.00 price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a research note on Friday, October 11th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $580.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Loop Capital reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $419.00 price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Domino’s Pizza from $500.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Domino’s Pizza presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $489.55.

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.