Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Shares Down 4.4% - Should You Sell?

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) fell 4.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $46.40 and last traded at $46.10. 424,533 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 1,225,353 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.20.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PZZA shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Northcoast Research upgraded Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.25.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.35 and a 200-day moving average of $41.53. The company has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International's dividend payout ratio is presently 78.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PZZA. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth $559,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter worth about $5,647,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Papa Johns International by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,500,739 shares of the company's stock worth $61,635,000 after acquiring an additional 102,128 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Papa Johns International by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 387,699 shares of the company's stock worth $15,923,000 after acquiring an additional 93,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Papa Johns International by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 389,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,011,000 after purchasing an additional 59,404 shares during the period.

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.