LPL Financial LLC Increases Position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 170.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,727 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,023 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Papa Johns International were worth $523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in Papa Johns International by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its holdings in Papa Johns International by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 10,453 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 111.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,425 shares of the company's stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Northcoast Research raised shares of Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Papa Johns International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Shares of Papa Johns International stock traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $33.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 764,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,248,216. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $40.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.81. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.25. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $64.06.

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.