6,262 Shares in Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA Purchased by Aristeia Capital L.L.C.

Key Points

• Aristeia Capital L.L.C. has acquired a new position in Papa John's International, Inc., investing $257,000 to purchase 6,262 shares during the first quarter.
• Papa John's reported a revenue increase of 4.2% year-over-year, reaching $529.17 million for the latest quarter, along with an EPS of $0.41 that surpassed expectations.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.7% and a payout ratio of 81.42%.

Aristeia Capital L.L.C. purchased a new position in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,262 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PZZA. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Papa John's International during the fourth quarter valued at about $17,328,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Papa John's International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $14,348,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its stake in Papa John's International by 34.7% during the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 776,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,885,000 after purchasing an additional 199,840 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Papa John's International during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,640,000. Finally, Long Focus Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Papa John's International by 72.6% during the 1st quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC now owns 310,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,760,000 after purchasing an additional 130,622 shares during the period.

Papa John's International Price Performance

Shares of Papa John's International stock traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $50.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 619,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 993,754. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $45.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.29. Papa John's International, Inc. has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $60.75. The stock has a market cap of $1.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.15.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. The firm had revenue of $529.17 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $515.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Papa John's International's payout ratio is 81.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PZZA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Papa John's International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.33.

About Papa John's 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.