Earnest Partners LLC Purchases 27,912 Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,589,991 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,912 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC owned approximately 7.94% of Papa Johns International worth $106,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Irth Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Papa Johns International in the 4th quarter worth about $66,883,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 117.3% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,118,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,933,000 after buying an additional 603,650 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 131.4% in the 4th quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 576,329 shares of the company's stock worth $23,670,000 after buying an additional 327,300 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 124.8% in the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 540,694 shares of the company's stock worth $22,206,000 after purchasing an additional 300,138 shares during the period. Finally, Long Focus Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,393,000.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Papa Johns International stock traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 577,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,246,339. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.33 and a 200-day moving average of $43.46. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $61.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.25.

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 paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.15%. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PZZA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Loop Capital dropped their price target 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, January 21st. Benchmark cut their price target on Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Papa Johns International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $53.00.

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.