Papa John’s International Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 22,742 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 488% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,868 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Papa John’s International by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 22.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 3.1% in the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 7,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 0.4% in the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 74,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,650,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Papa John’s International by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA traded down $1.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $40.98. 821,455 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,387,104. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $48.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 1.10. Papa John’s International has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $56.23.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $508.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $523.67 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. The company’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down from $62.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Stephens reduced their target price on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.50.

About Papa John’s 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.