Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Buys New Stake in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

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

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,772 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Papa John's International by 1.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 102,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division lifted its position in Papa John's International by 26.5% during the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 28,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 5,994 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Papa John's International by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 387,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,923,000 after acquiring an additional 93,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 7,784 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PZZA shares. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Papa John's International to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $51.25.

Papa John's International Price Performance

NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $49.55 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 1.18. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.16 and a 1-year high of $60.75. The company's fifty day moving average price is $40.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.43.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $518.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.48 million. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.77% and a negative return on equity of 15.72%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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 disclosed 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 3.71%. Papa John's International's payout ratio is currently 78.30%.

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.

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