Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 2,621 Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 28.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,550 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,621 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cutler Group LLC CA bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Papa John’s International by 396.5% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Papa John’s International by 277.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in Papa John’s International by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Papa John’s International news, CEO Ravi Thanawala bought 1,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $52.41 per share, with a total value of $99,579.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,920 shares in the company, valued at $2,039,797.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 8.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $47.21 on Monday. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.20 and a 12 month high of $86.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 20.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.11.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.09. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 3.50%. The business had revenue of $513.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $544.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.90%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. BTIG Research downgraded Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Loop Capital cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $77.00 to $58.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Wedbush dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $76.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Papa John’s International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $76.30.

About Papa John’s International

Papa John's International, Inc operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John's trademark in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Commissaries, North America Franchising, and International Operations.