Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $17.62 Million Holdings in Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Papa John's International by 31.3% during the first quarter, acquiring 102,137 additional shares, bringing their total ownership to approximately 1.31% of the company.
• Papa John's reported a quarterly revenue of $529.17 million, exceeding analyst estimates of $515.48 million, alongside an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.41 that outperformed expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing a 3.9% yield, with a payout ratio of 81.42% expected.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 31.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 428,961 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 102,137 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 1.31% of Papa John's International worth $17,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John's International by 170.6% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,727 shares of the company's stock worth $523,000 after acquiring an additional 8,023 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 135,958 shares of the company's stock worth $5,584,000 after purchasing an additional 11,888 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Papa John's International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,647,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Papa John's International during the 4th quarter worth $1,372,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Papa John's International by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 33,733 shares of the company's stock worth $1,385,000 after buying an additional 2,993 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John's International Stock Down 1.9%

Papa John's International stock traded down $0.85 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $45.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 643,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,321,061. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.16 and a 12 month high of $60.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $46.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.92.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 posted $0.61 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is 81.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PZZA shares. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $42.00 price target (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.33.

Papa John's International 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.