Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $12.21 Million Position in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 88.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 183,308 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86,181 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.56% of Papa John’s International worth $12,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC grew its position in Papa John’s International by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp. lifted its stake in Papa John’s International by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 4,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Papa John’s International by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Papa John’s International by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in Papa John’s International by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ravi Thanawala acquired 1,900 shares of Papa John’s International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $52.41 per share, with a total value of $99,579.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,920 shares in the company, valued at $2,039,797.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PZZA. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Papa John’s International from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $77.00 to $58.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on Papa John’s International from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Wedbush lowered their price objective on Papa John’s International from $76.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.10.

Papa John’s International Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $41.24 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day moving average is $45.77 and its 200 day moving average is $59.94. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.90 and a twelve month high of $84.68.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.09. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.50% and a negative return on equity of 19.46%. The company had revenue of $513.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $544.46 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. Papa John’s International’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.46%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 81.78%.

Papa John’s International 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.