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

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors acquired 7,970 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 242% compared to the typical volume of 2,333 call options.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of PZZA stock traded down $2.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $55.08. 1,439,633 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 798,932. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $52.07 and a twelve month high of $86.38. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $65.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.11. The firm has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.16.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $571.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $578.15 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.84% and a negative return on equity of 19.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.71 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 20th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 74.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. BTIG Research lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Papa John’s International from $84.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Papa John’s International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.60.

Insider Activity at Papa John’s International

In other Papa John’s International news, Director Laurette T. Koellner sold 2,886 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.21, for a total transaction of $202,626.06. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,320,228.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth about $1,368,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 11.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,479,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,381,000 after acquiring an additional 353,832 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 146,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,158,000 after acquiring an additional 14,650 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Papa John’s International by 731.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 62,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,000 after purchasing an additional 54,949 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in Papa John’s International by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 21,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,493,000 after purchasing an additional 7,521 shares in the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

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.