Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,280,000 shares, an increase of 24.4% from the October 31st total of 3,440,000 shares. Currently, 13.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,010,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.2 days.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $49.83 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $51.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.19. Papa Johns International has a one year low of $39.90 and a one year high of $78.67.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $506.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.28 million. Papa Johns International had a net margin of 4.51% and a negative return on equity of 19.61%. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.53 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Papa Johns International will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Papa Johns International’s payout ratio is presently 64.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Papa Johns International from $58.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Papa Johns International from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.82.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 66.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 65.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa Johns International in the third quarter worth $156,000.

Papa Johns International Company 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.