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

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 9,858 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 144% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,045 call options.

Papa John’s International Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ:PZZA traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $36.12. 179,056 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,207,109. Papa John’s International has a 1 year low of $29.55 and a 1 year high of $55.74. The company has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.36.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 221.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PZZA. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Benchmark lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $42.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PZZA. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 32.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 4,705 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $600,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Papa John’s International by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $813,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Papa John’s International by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 310,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,762,000 after purchasing an additional 62,103 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Papa John’s International by 81.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 112,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,625,000 after buying an additional 50,536 shares in the last quarter.

About Papa John’s International

Papa John’s International, Inc is a leading American pizza restaurant chain known for its focus on high-quality ingredients and consistent product offerings. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company has grown to operate thousands of restaurants across the United States and in more than 40 international markets. Papa John’s restaurants are primarily franchised, supported by a network of corporate-owned outlets that together drive brand standards, operational guidance and marketing efforts.

The core menu at Papa John’s centers on a variety of hand-tossed and pan pizzas made with a signature stone-baked crust and topped with real cheese, vine-ripened tomato sauce and premium meats and vegetables.