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

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,070,000 shares, a growth of 21.8% from the October 15th total of 1,700,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 635,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Approximately 6.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Domino’s Pizza Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DPZ traded down $5.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $430.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,571,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 518,032. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $423.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $457.62. Domino’s Pizza has a 1-year low of $367.24 and a 1-year high of $542.75. The stock has a market cap of $14.86 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.86.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 10th. The restaurant operator reported $4.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.18 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Domino’s Pizza will post 16.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Domino’s Pizza Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Domino’s Pizza’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on DPZ shares. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Domino’s Pizza from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $520.00 to $510.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Domino’s Pizza in a report on Friday, October 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $500.00 to $480.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Domino’s Pizza from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $494.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Andrew Balson sold 6,970 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 15,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,591,075.30. This represents a 31.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Domino’s Pizza by 162.5% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Domino’s Pizza by 2,033.3% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 64 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of Domino’s Pizza during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Domino’s Pizza in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Domino’s Pizza by 654.5% in the 2nd 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. Institutional investors own 94.63% of the company’s stock.

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.