Ieq Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 6,893 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 position in shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Papa John's International by 4,646.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Papa John's International by 937.8% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Papa John's International by 214.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Papa John's International by 27.2% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $87,000.

Papa John's International Stock Performance

Papa John's International stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Thursday, hitting $50.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 886,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,010,026. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.15. The stock's fifty day moving average is $45.92 and its 200 day moving average is $43.33. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.16 and a 1-year high of $60.75.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $529.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $515.48 million. Papa John's International had a negative return on equity of 14.42% and a net margin of 3.58%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PZZA shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Papa John's International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa John's International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $52.33.

Papa John's International Company 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.