Two Sigma Investments LP Purchases 116,538 Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 247.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 163,720 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 116,538 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP owned approximately 0.50% of Papa Johns International worth $6,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PZZA. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in Papa Johns International by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 9,711 shares of the company's stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Papa Johns International by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Papa Johns International by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,639 shares of the company's stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth about $1,114,000. Finally, Guidance Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth about $479,000.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA traded down $0.72 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $43.59. 1,009,129 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,222,296. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.16 and a 52 week high of $60.75. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $37.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.62.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $518.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.48 million. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio is currently 78.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PZZA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Northcoast Research upgraded Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on Papa Johns International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Papa Johns International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $51.25.

About Papa Johns 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.