On Tuesday, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) adjusted its outlook on Domino's Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) shares, reducing the price target from $510.00 to $496.00 while retaining an Overweight rating. Currently trading at $427.35 with a market capitalization of $14.76 billion, the stock is showing mixed signals. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company appears slightly overvalued relative to its Fair Value.
The firm's analyst cited several factors influencing this decision, including slower recent trends that have impacted the stock's performance and a challenging comparison in the first quarter of 2025. Despite a slower demand for delivery services, even after the rollout of Uber (NYSE:UBER) Eats, the analyst remains optimistic about the company's potential for growth.
Domino's Pizza's performance in the first quarter presents a tough comparison to previous successes, with delivery demand not picking up as much as might have been anticipated. However, Morgan Stanley believes that Domino's has various growth drivers, such as expanded third-party delivery services and ongoing product and technological innovations. The firm expects the pizza chain to meet its U.S. same-store sales (SSS) growth algorithm, projecting an increase of over 3% for the year.
The analyst emphasized Domino's strong value proposition within the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector, which stands out in the current value-focused market environment. This strength makes it one of the few companies in the sector that Morgan Stanley continues to recommend. While international expectations have been moderated, the analyst suggests that they are now more realistic and potentially exceedable, with key markets like China and India continuing to drive unit growth.
The revised price target is based on a 26 times multiple of the company's projected 2026 earnings per share (EPS), compared to the stock's current P/E ratio of 25.95x. Morgan Stanley views this as a relatively attractive entry point for investors considering the stock's prospects. InvestingPro subscribers can access additional insights, including 8 more ProTips and a comprehensive Pro Research Report, which provides deep-dive analysis of Domino's financial health and growth prospects.
In other recent news, Domino's Pizza has seen some significant developments. The pizza chain reported a 6.6% increase in U.S. retail sales and a 5.1% growth in global retail sales for the third quarter, continuing its trend of same-store sales growth for the fourth consecutive quarter. The company also announced the appointment of Kate Trumbull as the new Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, a move expected to enhance its global marketing strategies.
Further, Domino's Pizza has revealed plans to change its stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market, a transition scheduled to occur after market closure on December 31, 2024.
In relation to stock ratings, Loop Capital upgraded Domino's Pizza from Hold to Buy, setting a new price target of $559, following an uptick in same-store sales growth. However, Bernstein SocGen Group revised Domino's financial outlook, reducing the price target while maintaining a Market Perform rating due to concerns over U.S. delivery sales.
Lastly, Guggenheim Securities adjusted Domino's Pizza's future financial outlook by reducing its price target from $460 to $450 while maintaining a Neutral rating on the company's shares. This revision reflects a reassessment of the pizza chain's earnings projections for the coming years.
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