Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA Shares Acquired by Long Focus Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Long Focus Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Papa John's International by 72.6%, owning 310,622 shares, valued at approximately $12.76 million.
• The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the latest quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.34, with revenues reaching $529.17 million.
• Papa John's announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46, marking a 3.8% yield, with a payout ratio of 81.42% for the quarter.

Long Focus Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 72.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 310,622 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 130,622 shares during the period. Long Focus Capital Management LLC owned about 0.95% of Papa John's International worth $12,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its stake in Papa John's International by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,358,945 shares of the company's stock worth $55,812,000 after acquiring an additional 173,316 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Papa John's International by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,117,238 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,885,000 after buying an additional 85,236 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its stake in shares of Papa John's International by 34.7% during the 1st quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 776,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,885,000 after buying an additional 199,840 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Papa John's International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 591,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,310,000 after buying an additional 15,513 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Papa John's International by 31.3% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 428,961 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,622,000 after buying an additional 102,137 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Papa John's International Trading Up 1.3%

PZZA stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.22. The stock had a trading volume of 960,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,316,380. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.16 and a 1-year high of $60.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $45.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.30.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John's International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Papa John's International's payout ratio is currently 81.42%.

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.