Heartland Advisors Inc. Increases Stake in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 53.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 239,850 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 83,350 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $7,774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Papa John’s International during the second quarter valued at about $59,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth about $71,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Skylands Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at about $92,000.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 2.5%

Papa John’s International stock opened at $32.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.12. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.55 and a 1-year high of $55.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $33.85 and a 200-day moving average of $34.68.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 221.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PZZA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark lowered their price objective on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $34.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price 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.