Isthmus Partners LLC Acquires 2,907 Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,318 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,907 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC owned 0.23% of Papa John’s International worth $3,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Papa John’s International by 111.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Papa John’s International by 27.2% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at $87,000.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $47.02 on Friday. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.16 and a twelve month high of $60.75. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 1.19.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.48 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.77% and a negative return on equity of 15.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 78.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Thursday, June 12th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, May 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.25.

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.