90,656 Shares in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA Bought by Man Group plc

Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 90,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,333,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PZZA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $182,315,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the second quarter worth $13,942,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at $12,969,000. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at $12,767,000. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,947,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,950,000 after acquiring an additional 318,816 shares during the period.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA opened at $23.48 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $29.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.46. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.77 and a 1 year high of $55.74. The company has a market capitalization of $773.01 million, a PE ratio of 29.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.13.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $482.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.25 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.34% and a negative return on equity of 10.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.22 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on PZZA. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (down from $38.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

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.