Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA Shares Sold by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC reduced its stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 45.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,703 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,698 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PZZA. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 4,646.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 937.8% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 181.8% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Investors Research Corp acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 214.7% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 947 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 1.9%

NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $52.01 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $47.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.83. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.16 and a 52 week high of $60.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 1.10.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $515.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on PZZA. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Papa John’s International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down from $62.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Stephens set a $50.00 price objective on Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, October 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.78.

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.