Heartland Advisors Inc. Acquires 31,500 Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 156,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 31,500 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 0.48% of Papa John’s International worth $6,024,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 18,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 39,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,506,000 after buying an additional 984 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth about $451,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 82,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,186,000 after purchasing an additional 9,018 shares during the period.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 0.6%

Papa John’s International stock opened at $31.73 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.86. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.15. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.55 and a 52-week high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 10.71%. The company had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is presently 221.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on PZZA. Mizuho cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Benchmark cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $42.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.50.

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.