Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Takes Position in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Papa John's International by 506.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Papa John's International by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 102,399 shares of the company's stock worth $4,207,000 after buying an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in Papa John's International by 26.5% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 28,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,176,000 after buying an additional 5,994 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Papa John's International by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 387,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,923,000 after buying an additional 93,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Papa John's International by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 62,056 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,549,000 after buying an additional 7,784 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John's International Stock Up 1.4%

PZZA traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $48.53. 1,164,609 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,260,232. The company's 50-day moving average is $42.09 and its 200 day moving average is $41.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.18. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.16 and a 52 week high of $60.75.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.03. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.77% and a negative return on equity of 15.72%. The firm had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $512.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.79%. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Papa John's International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Friday, February 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Papa John's International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.25.

Papa John's 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.