Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,358,945 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 173,316 shares during the quarter. Papa Johns International makes up approximately 1.1% of Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 4.16% of Papa Johns International worth $55,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Papa Johns International by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Papa Johns International by 111.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter valued at about $164,000.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $33.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s fifty day moving average is $38.33 and its 200 day moving average is $42.93. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $30.16 and a fifty-two week high of $60.75.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is 73.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $45.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Papa Johns International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.42.

About Papa Johns International

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.