Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Trading 4.4% Higher - What's Next?

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 4.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $39.19 and last traded at $39.46. Approximately 213,577 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 1,670,244 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered Papa Johns International from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.83.

Papa Johns International Trading Up 5.4 %

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $43.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.63. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.89, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.19.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. The firm had revenue of $506.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $497.28 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.53 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.62%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Papa Johns International's payout ratio is currently 64.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PZZA. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 66.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 646 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Papa Johns International by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,690 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. increased its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 10,453 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake 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 worth $273,000 after buying an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the period.

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.

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