Long Focus Capital Management LLC Takes $7.39 Million Position in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Long Focus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 180,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,393,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in Papa Johns International by 39.4% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 12,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 3,433 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the third quarter worth about $266,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International during the third quarter worth about $312,000. Optimist Retirement Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa Johns International during the 3rd quarter worth about $286,000. Finally, Irth Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Papa Johns International in the 4th quarter valued at about $66,883,000.

Papa Johns International Stock Up 2.3 %

PZZA stock opened at $31.59 on Wednesday. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $64.67. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $41.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.18.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Papa Johns International’s payout ratio is 73.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on PZZA. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark dropped their price target on Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, February 28th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.00.

Papa Johns International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc engages in the operation and franchise of pizza delivery and carryout restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Domestic Company-owned Restaurants, North America Franchising, North America Commissaries, International Operations, and All Others. The Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants segment consists of retail sales of pizza and side items, breadsticks, cheese sticks, chicken poppers and wings, dessert items, and canned and bottled beverages.