Ieq Capital LLC Takes $283,000 Position in Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC acquired 6,893 shares of Papa John's International valued at approximately $283,000 during the first quarter, amidst modifications in holdings from several other institutional investors.
• Papa John's recently reported earnings of $0.41 EPS for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 4.2% year-over-year revenue increase to $529.17 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 3.8% and a payout ratio of 81.42%.

Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 43.2% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 17,405 shares of the company's stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 5,248 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 363,253 shares of the company's stock worth $14,919,000 after buying an additional 32,416 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 149,697 shares of the company's stock worth $6,148,000 after buying an additional 23,260 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $371,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,746 shares of the company's stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 388 shares in the last quarter.

Papa John's International Trading Down 1.9%

PZZA traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $48.76. 1,253,516 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,308,993. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.16 and a 12-month high of $60.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $45.91 and a 200 day moving average of $43.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.15.

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. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. The firm had revenue of $529.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $515.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $52.00 price target (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $42.00 price target (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Papa John's International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.