Sei Investments Co. Sells 57,496 Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Sei Investments Co. lessened its stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,079,272 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,496 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 3.28% of Papa John’s International worth $34,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,947,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,950,000 after purchasing an additional 318,816 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $83,201,000 after buying an additional 161,906 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,816,000 after buying an additional 42,810 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,108,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,380,000 after buying an additional 21,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 626,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,300,000 after buying an additional 49,031 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $30.37 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.38. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.55 and a 52 week high of $55.74. The stock has a market cap of $999.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.59, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.12.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 10.71%. The company’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is currently 221.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on PZZA shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $34.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Profile

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.