Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Stock Position Trimmed by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 70.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,433 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,697 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Papa Johns International were worth $264,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Papa Johns International Stock Up 3.1%

PZZA stock traded up $1.38 during trading on Friday, hitting $45.20. 921,548 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,222,486. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.53.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Papa Johns International had a net margin of 4.51% and a negative return on equity of 19.61%. The business had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $512.48 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PZZA. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $51.25.

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.