Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Shares Sold by FIL Ltd

FIL Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 62.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 406,147 shares of the company's stock after selling 668,853 shares during the period. FIL Ltd owned 1.24% of Papa Johns International worth $16,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in Papa Johns International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at $164,000.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

PZZA traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $31.29. 228,150 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,233,621. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $30.20 and a fifty-two week high of $64.67. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $42.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.84.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PZZA. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Northcoast Research raised shares of Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $55.08.

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.