Legato Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Legato Capital Management LLC grew its position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 25.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 26,827 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,456 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Papa Johns International were worth $1,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Irth Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,883,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its position in Papa Johns International by 142.3% in the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 22,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 13,297 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 85.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 190,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,237,000 after purchasing an additional 87,801 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,091,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,812,000 after purchasing an additional 176,470 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 378,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,399,000 after purchasing an additional 28,883 shares during the last quarter.

Papa Johns International Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA opened at $43.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.35. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $35.28 and a 12-month high of $76.91.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on PZZA. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Monday, January 13th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Papa Johns International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Papa Johns International from $66.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa Johns International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.83.

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.