Crestline Management LP Raises Stock Holdings in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Crestline Management LP boosted its stake in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 115.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,423 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,471 shares during the quarter. Crestline Management LP owned approximately 0.07% of Papa Johns International worth $880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 111.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth $164,000.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

PZZA stock traded up $2.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $41.05. 1,542,954 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,245,817. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $60.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $37.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.54.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.48 million. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International's payout ratio is presently 78.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price 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. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa Johns International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $51.25.

Papa Johns International 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.