Aigen Investment Management LP Invests $360,000 in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $360,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PZZA. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at about $404,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,204,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,277,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 140.4% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Papa John’s International by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 723,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,140,000 after purchasing an additional 12,949 shares during the period.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

NASDAQ PZZA traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $47.62. 1,418,655 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,325,647. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50 day moving average of $60.77 and a 200-day moving average of $67.89. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.81 and a 12-month high of $86.38.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $513.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $544.46 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.50% and a negative return on equity of 19.46%. Papa John’s International’s revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.86%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is currently 81.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $65.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $77.00 to $58.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Papa John’s International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Papa John’s International

In other news, Director Laurette T. Koellner sold 2,886 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.21, for a total transaction of $202,626.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,804 shares in the company, valued at $1,320,228.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Ravi Thanawala bought 1,900 shares of Papa John’s International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $52.41 per share, for a total transaction of $99,579.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,039,797.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Laurette T. Koellner sold 2,886 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.21, for a total value of $202,626.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,804 shares in the company, valued at $1,320,228.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 8.90% of the company’s stock.

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.