Ancora Advisors LLC Takes $2.67 Million Position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 64,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,666,000. Ancora Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Papa Johns International at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,589,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,371,000 after acquiring an additional 27,912 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Papa Johns International by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,500,739 shares of the company's stock worth $61,635,000 after acquiring an additional 102,128 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its position in Papa Johns International by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,156,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,506,000 after purchasing an additional 64,972 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 117.3% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,118,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,933,000 after purchasing an additional 603,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 591,937 shares of the company's stock worth $24,310,000 after purchasing an additional 15,513 shares during the period.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

NASDAQ:PZZA traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $33.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,129,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,250,475. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.16 and a 1 year high of $60.75. The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09. The business's fifty day moving average is $38.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.93.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PZZA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $52.42.

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.