LPL Financial LLC Increases Stake in Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC significantly increased its holdings in Papa John's International by 438.4%, reaching a total of $2.82 million worth of stock.
• Several large investors also made notable changes to their positions, with Bessemer Group Inc. increasing their stake by 2,758.7%.
• Papa John's International reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.41, exceeding consensus estimates by $0.07, with revenue growing 4.2% year-over-year.

LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 438.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,528 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 55,801 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.21% of Papa John's International worth $2,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Papa John's International by 214.7% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in Papa John's International by 27.2% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Papa John's International in the 4th quarter worth $87,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Papa John's International by 506.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,122 shares of the company's stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Papa John's International by 2,758.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,144 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 2,069 shares during the period.

Papa John's International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA traded up $1.97 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $46.29. 1,280,970 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 932,789. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.16 and a 12-month high of $60.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.02. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.13.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $529.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $515.48 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. Papa John's International's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Papa John's International's payout ratio is currently 81.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on PZZA. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 target price (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa John's International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.