Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Short Interest Up 17.8% in March

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,687,150 shares, an increase of 17.8% from the February 26th total of 3,978,192 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,248,120 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 14.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Papa John’s International by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 139,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,376,000 after buying an additional 17,215 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 189.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 18,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $704,000 after acquiring an additional 11,982 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 12,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $494,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550 shares during the last quarter. Private Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Capital Management LLC now owns 41,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,608,000 after acquiring an additional 6,175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at about $758,000.

Papa John’s International Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA traded up $0.02 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $32.41. The stock had a trading volume of 759,751 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,351,880. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.25. Papa John’s International has a one year low of $29.55 and a one year high of $55.74. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.42, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.23.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.44% and a negative return on equity of 11.16%. The firm had revenue of $498.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $517.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. Papa John’s International’s revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 206.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Stephens lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa John’s International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.00.

About Papa John’s International

Papa John’s International, Inc is a leading American pizza restaurant chain known for its focus on high-quality ingredients and consistent product offerings. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company has grown to operate thousands of restaurants across the United States and in more than 40 international markets. Papa John’s restaurants are primarily franchised, supported by a network of corporate-owned outlets that together drive brand standards, operational guidance and marketing efforts.

The core menu at Papa John’s centers on a variety of hand-tossed and pan pizzas made with a signature stone-baked crust and topped with real cheese, vine-ripened tomato sauce and premium meats and vegetables.