Public Sector Pension Investment Board Grows Position in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 14.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,729 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,112 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned about 0.39% of Papa John’s International worth $6,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 271.6% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 690,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,783,000 after purchasing an additional 504,514 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 3rd quarter valued at $13,036,000. Arvin Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter worth $9,979,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,700,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,201,000 after acquiring an additional 161,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its position in Papa John’s International by 18.9% in the second quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 922,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,162,000 after acquiring an additional 146,640 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PZZA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho lowered their price target on Papa John’s International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, November 10th. Stephens dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.44.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $32.83 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37.22 and its 200 day moving average is $42.88. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.20. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.16 and a 1 year high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is presently 164.29%.

About Papa John’s International

Papa John’s International, Inc is a leading American pizza restaurant chain known for its focus on high-quality ingredients and consistent product offerings. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company has grown to operate thousands of restaurants across the United States and in more than 40 international markets. Papa John’s restaurants are primarily franchised, supported by a network of corporate-owned outlets that together drive brand standards, operational guidance and marketing efforts.

The core menu at Papa John’s centers on a variety of hand-tossed and pan pizzas made with a signature stone-baked crust and topped with real cheese, vine-ripened tomato sauce and premium meats and vegetables.