33,401 Shares in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Acquired by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 33,401 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,372,000. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.10% of Papa Johns International as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. XTX Topco Ltd increased its position in Papa Johns International by 96.5% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 22,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $930,000 after acquiring an additional 11,124 shares during the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth about $201,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,647,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Papa Johns 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 period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Papa Johns International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 201,505 shares of the company's stock worth $8,276,000 after purchasing an additional 1,576 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Benchmark decreased their target price on Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.00.

Papa Johns International Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA traded up $1.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $35.69. 914,363 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,251,210. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $39.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.20. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $60.75.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.16%. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.02%.

Papa Johns International Company 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.