Isthmus Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Isthmus Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 54.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 36,099 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,482 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $1,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $314,000. Skylands Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the first quarter worth $65,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at $470,000. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 7,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 2,415.0% during the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 135,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,394,000 after purchasing an additional 130,190 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PZZA. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.50.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

NASDAQ PZZA opened at $33.61 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.91. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 40.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.12. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.55 and a 1 year high of $55.74.

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

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 221.69%.

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.