Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Hits New 52-Week Low at $58.12

Shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $58.12 and last traded at $58.27, with a volume of 22434 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $58.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PZZA. KeyCorp lowered their price target on Papa John's International from $84.00 to $78.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark dropped their price target on Papa John's International from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Stephens began coverage on Papa John's International in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research cut shares of Papa John's International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Papa John's International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $65.00 to $60.00 in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa John's International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.60.

Papa John's International Stock Down 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.25.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $571.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $578.15 million. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.84% and a negative return on equity of 19.46%. Papa John's International's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.71 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Papa John's International

In other Papa John's International news, Director Laurette T. Koellner sold 2,886 shares of Papa John's International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.21, for a total transaction of $202,626.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,320,228.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John's International

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Papa John's International by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 932,785 shares of the company's stock worth $62,124,000 after buying an additional 42,867 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its stake in Papa John's International by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 18,808 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Papa John's International in the 1st quarter valued at $571,000. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the first quarter worth $2,711,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its position in shares of Papa John's International by 1.3% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 28,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,877,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the last quarter.

About Papa John's International

Papa John's International, Inc operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John's trademark in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Commissaries, North America Franchising, and International Operations.