Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA Shares Sold by Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Papa John's International by 46.5%, selling 70,660 shares, leaving it with approximately 0.25% ownership valued at $3.34 million.
• Several hedge funds have recently increased their stakes in the company, with Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC and CWM LLC boosting their holdings by 4.6% and 27.2%, respectively.
• Papa John's International declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, which will be paid on August 29th, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.8% and a dividend payout ratio of 81.42%.

Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 46.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 81,430 shares of the company's stock after selling 70,660 shares during the quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.25% of Papa John's International worth $3,345,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PZZA. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Papa John's International by 4,646.7% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Papa John's International by 937.8% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 214.7% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 947 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in Papa John's International by 27.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Papa John's International during the 4th quarter worth about $87,000.

Papa John's International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $48.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 832,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,320,511. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.16 and a 1-year high of $60.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.28.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $529.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $515.48 million. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. The business's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Analysts predict that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PZZA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Loop Capital cut their price target on Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $42.00 target price (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Papa John's International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, 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.