Public Sector Pension Investment Board Buys 16,112 Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 127,729 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,112 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $6,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Papa John’s International Price Performance

PZZA stock opened at $32.83 on Thursday. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.16 and a 1 year high of $55.74. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $37.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.88.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.