Papa John’s International Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 8,887 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 137% compared to the typical volume of 3,749 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $42.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Anson Funds Management LP acquired a new position in Papa John’s International during the 1st quarter worth $2,431,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at about $650,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 22.3% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 47,121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after buying an additional 8,584 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 76.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 60,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,964,000 after buying an additional 26,335 shares during the period. Finally, Excelsior Advisor Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the first quarter worth about $212,000.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA traded down $2.06 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $34.41. 381,217 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,216,029. The stock has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.15. Papa John’s International has a fifty-two week low of $29.55 and a fifty-two week high of $55.74. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.51.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 10.71%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 221.69%.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc is a leading American pizza restaurant chain known for its focus on high-quality ingredients and consistent product offerings. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company has grown to operate thousands of restaurants across the United States and in more than 40 international markets. Papa John’s restaurants are primarily franchised, supported by a network of corporate-owned outlets that together drive brand standards, operational guidance and marketing efforts.

The core menu at Papa John’s centers on a variety of hand-tossed and pan pizzas made with a signature stone-baked crust and topped with real cheese, vine-ripened tomato sauce and premium meats and vegetables.