Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA Shares Bought by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 25.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 125,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $6,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Guidance Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 12,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp. grew its holdings in Papa John’s International by 11.6% in the third quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 4,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 14.4% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 127,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,150,000 after buying an additional 16,112 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the 3rd quarter worth $806,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 113,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,446,000 after buying an additional 2,540 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Stephens cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa John’s International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.44.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Papa John’s International stock opened at $31.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.20. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.16 and a 12-month high of $55.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.95.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 164.29%.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

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.