Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Shares Sold by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,554 shares of the company’s stock after selling 661 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.09% of Papa Johns International worth $1,255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Papa Johns International by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Papa Johns International by 7,045.3% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 22,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $977,000 after purchasing an additional 22,263 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Papa Johns International by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 26,827 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 5,456 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Papa Johns International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 101,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,158,000 after purchasing an additional 2,651 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Papa Johns International by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 159,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,531,000 after purchasing an additional 4,614 shares during the period.

Papa Johns International Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $50.53 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $37.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.41. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.16 and a 12-month high of $60.75. The company has a market cap of $1.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.18.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.03. Papa Johns International had a net margin of 4.51% and a negative return on equity of 19.61%. The company had revenue of $518.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $512.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on PZZA. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Northcoast Research raised Papa Johns International to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.25.

About Papa Johns International

Papa John’s International, Inc engages in the operation and franchise of pizza delivery and carryout restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Domestic Company-owned Restaurants, North America Franchising, North America Commissaries, International Operations, and All Others. The Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants segment consists of retail sales of pizza and side items, breadsticks, cheese sticks, chicken poppers and wings, dessert items, and canned and bottled beverages.