Principal Financial Group Inc. Cuts Position in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 26.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 158,171 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,970 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Papa John’s International were worth $7,616,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PZZA. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 7,600.0% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 22.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International in the second quarter valued at about $59,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 342.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reduced their price objective on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.44.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $31.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $37.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.09. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.16 and a twelve month high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 164.29%.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

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.