Man Group plc Makes New $3.33 Million Investment in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 90,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,333,000. Man Group plc owned about 0.28% of Papa John’s International as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PZZA. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the second quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Skylands Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the first quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 42.9% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PZZA. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $34.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Benchmark cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating 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 note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Papa John’s International currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $23.48 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $29.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.46. The firm has a market cap of $773.01 million, a P/E ratio of 29.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.77 and a 12 month high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $482.40 million for 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 quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 EPS. Analysts forecast that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International 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.