Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Stock Price Down 4.3% – Here’s Why

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) was down 4.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $44.39 and last traded at $44.61. Approximately 631,472 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 1,802,989 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.63.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PZZA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Papa Johns International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.67.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $41.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.76.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.11%. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Papa Johns International by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 62,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,549,000 after purchasing an additional 7,784 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in Papa Johns International by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,117,238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,885,000 after acquiring an additional 85,236 shares during the last quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at $2,988,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 247.0% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 163,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,724,000 after acquiring an additional 116,538 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth about $87,000.

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.