Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA Shares Acquired by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 438.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,528 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 55,801 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.21% of Papa John’s International worth $2,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Papa John’s International by 4.6% during the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in Papa John’s International by 27.2% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its position in Papa John’s International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Papa John’s International by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 18,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $776,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guidance Capital Inc. increased its position in Papa John’s International by 5.7% during the first quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 12,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $47.57 on Monday. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $60.75. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.53 and a 200 day moving average of $42.86. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.13.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. The company had revenue of $529.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $515.48 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on PZZA. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price objective (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $52.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.33.

Papa John’s International Profile

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.