Sapience Investments LLC Has $3.66 Million Holdings in Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Sapience Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 23.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,159 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,643 shares during the period. Papa Johns International comprises about 2.1% of Sapience Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Sapience Investments LLC owned approximately 0.27% of Papa Johns International worth $3,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 111.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter worth about $164,000.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

PZZA stock opened at $40.34 on Friday. Papa Johns International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.16 and a 1 year high of $60.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $37.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.34. The company has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $512.48 million. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. Papa Johns International’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International’s payout ratio is currently 78.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on PZZA shares. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Monday, May 12th. Northcoast Research upgraded Papa Johns International to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Papa Johns International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.25.

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.