Traders Purchase High Volume of Papa John’s International Call Options (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 7,970 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 242% compared to the average daily volume of 2,333 call options.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Papa John’s International stock opened at $53.22 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.63, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.16. Papa John’s International has a 52 week low of $52.07 and a 52 week high of $86.38.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.18. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 3.84%. The business had revenue of $571.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $578.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Laurette T. Koellner sold 2,886 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.21, for a total value of $202,626.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,804 shares in the company, valued at $1,320,228.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the third quarter worth $102,786,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth about $29,204,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,479,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,381,000 after purchasing an additional 353,832 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 889,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,838,000 after purchasing an additional 232,177 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 5,031.5% in the third quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 197,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,439,000 after buying an additional 193,161 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PZZA. StockNews.com downgraded Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 9th. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Friday, March 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Papa John’s International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.60.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John's International, Inc operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John's trademark in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Commissaries, North America Franchising, and International Operations.