Great Hill Capital LLC Acquires New Shares in Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA

Key Points

• Great Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position of 151,808 Papa John's shares in Q4 (≈$5.84M), representing about 0.46% ownership of the company and 0.6% of Great Hill’s holdings (its 20th largest position).
• Papa John's quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat ($0.34 vs. $0.33) but a revenue miss ($498.2M, down 6.1% YoY) with thin profitability (net margin 1.44%) and negative ROE, and analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $45.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.46 (annualized $1.84) for a 5.0% yield

Great Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 151,808 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,843,000. Papa John's International comprises 0.6% of Great Hill Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Great Hill Capital LLC owned about 0.46% of Papa John's International at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Guidance Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 13,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 528 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of Papa John's International by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 18,642 shares of the company's stock worth $716,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company's stock worth $63,816,000 after acquiring an additional 42,810 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC bought a new stake in Papa John's International in the 4th quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel bought a new stake in Papa John's International in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,336,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on PZZA shares. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Papa John's International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research raised Papa John's International from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Stephens reduced their price objective on Papa John's International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Benchmark cut their target price on Papa John's International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Papa John's International Trading Up 5.6%

Papa John's International stock opened at $36.94 on Thursday. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.55 and a 52 week high of $55.74. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.51, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50-day moving average price is $33.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.26.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Papa John's International had a net margin of 1.44% and a negative return on equity of 11.16%. The company had revenue of $498.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $517.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is 206.74%.

Papa John's International Company Profile

Papa John's International, Inc is a leading American pizza restaurant chain known for its focus on high-quality ingredients and consistent product offerings. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company has grown to operate thousands of restaurants across the United States and in more than 40 international markets. Papa John's restaurants are primarily franchised, supported by a network of corporate-owned outlets that together drive brand standards, operational guidance and marketing efforts.

The core menu at Papa John's centers on a variety of hand-tossed and pan pizzas made with a signature stone-baked crust and topped with real cheese, vine-ripened tomato sauce and premium meats and vegetables.

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