Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Shares Up 3.8% – Here’s What Happened

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) shares traded up 3.8% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $41.26 and last traded at $41.37. 655,673 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 46% from the average session volume of 1,210,864 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PZZA. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Papa Johns International from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Papa Johns International to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.25.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.59, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.25.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Irth Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at $66,883,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in Papa Johns International by 142.3% in the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 22,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 13,297 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $559,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,647,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,500,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,635,000 after buying an additional 102,128 shares in the last quarter.

Papa Johns 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.