Papa John’s International Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 21,407 put options on the company. This is an increase of 389% compared to the average volume of 4,380 put options.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $43.08 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $45.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.44. Papa John’s International has a one year low of $39.90 and a one year high of $84.68.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.09. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 3.50%. The firm had revenue of $513.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $544.46 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 2.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 19th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on PZZA. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on Papa John’s International from $78.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $78.00 to $69.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Papa John’s International from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ravi Thanawala purchased 1,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $52.41 per share, with a total value of $99,579.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,039,797.20. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 8.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cutler Group LLC CA acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth $114,000. United Capital Management of KS Inc. grew its stake in Papa John’s International by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 10,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $784,000 after buying an additional 855 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,250,000. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Papa John’s International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 23,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,784,000 after buying an additional 2,111 shares during the last quarter.

About Papa John’s International

Papa John's International, Inc operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John's trademark in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Commissaries, North America Franchising, and International Operations.