Sapience Investments LLC Has $3.66 Million Stock Holdings in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Sapience Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,159 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,643 shares during the period. Papa Johns International accounts for approximately 2.1% of Sapience Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Sapience Investments LLC owned approximately 0.27% of Papa Johns International worth $3,662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PZZA. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Papa Johns International by 27.4% in the fourth 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 period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 740 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,639 shares of the company's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth $1,114,000. Finally, Guidance Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at about $479,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Northcoast Research upgraded Papa Johns International to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Papa Johns International presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $51.25.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

PZZA stock traded up $1.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $42.13. 295,200 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,226,723. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $60.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $37.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.10.

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

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.37%. Papa Johns International's payout ratio is 78.30%.

Papa Johns 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.