Northern Trust Corp Trims Stake in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Northern Trust Corp lessened its position in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 359,403 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,850 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.10% of Papa John’s International worth $14,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Papa John’s International by 4,646.7% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 214.7% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 947 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Papa John’s International by 506.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth about $87,000.

Papa John’s International Stock Up 1.3%

Papa John’s International stock opened at $48.22 on Thursday. 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 market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.33.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $515.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 81.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Loop Capital dropped their price target on Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $52.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.33.

Papa John’s International Company 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.