Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Shares Sold by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its stake in Papa John's International by 18.0%, selling 201,067 shares, leaving it with approximately 916,171 shares worth $37.6 million.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing an annualized yield of 4.6%, with the ex-dividend date on August 18th.
• Several analysts have given mixed ratings, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.58 for Papa John's International shares.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 18.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 916,171 shares of the company's stock after selling 201,067 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 2.80% of Papa John's International worth $37,636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Papa John's International by 170.6% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,727 shares of the company's stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 8,023 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $324,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Papa John's International by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 387,699 shares of the company's stock worth $15,923,000 after purchasing an additional 93,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $837,000.

Papa John's International Stock Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:PZZA traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $43.32. 861,112 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 927,764. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.16 and a 1 year high of $60.75.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Papa John's International had a negative return on equity of 14.42% and a net margin of 3.58%. The company had revenue of $529.17 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $515.48 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John's International Dividend Announcement

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 $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is currently 81.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PZZA shares. Stephens lifted their target price on Papa John's International from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Loop Capital cut their target price on Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $42.00 price target (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Papa John's International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.38.

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.