Public Sector Pension Investment Board Grows Position in Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA

Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 27.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 103,477 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,153 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned approximately 0.32% of Papa John's International worth $4,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Papa John's International by 117.4% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 49,084 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,040,000 after purchasing an additional 26,505 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John's International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $230,000. Templeton & Phillips Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Papa John's International by 119.6% during the 1st quarter. Templeton & Phillips Capital Management LLC now owns 92,276 shares of the company's stock worth $3,791,000 after buying an additional 50,260 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Papa John's International by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 166,128 shares of the company's stock worth $6,825,000 after buying an additional 18,099 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John's International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $509,000.

Papa John's International Trading Up 2.6%

Papa John's International stock traded up $1.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $45.48. The stock had a trading volume of 185,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,309,145. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $60.75. The firm's fifty day moving average is $46.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.97.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. Papa John's International's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Papa John's International's payout ratio is currently 81.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PZZA. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. 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. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased 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 report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Papa John's International has a consensus 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.