Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Shares Down 4.3% - Should You Sell?

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) shares were down 4.3% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $44.39 and last traded at $44.61. Approximately 631,472 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 1,802,989 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Papa Johns International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.67.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average price is $42.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.16.

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Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Papa Johns International's payout ratio is currently 73.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 225.4% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,331 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in Papa Johns International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $773,000. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in Papa Johns International by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,096 shares of the company's stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $419,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 85.9% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 190,037 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,237,000 after acquiring an additional 87,801 shares during the last quarter.

About Papa Johns International

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.