=Papa John's (PZZA) reported earnings on Tue 21 Feb 2017(a/h)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ Papa John's International Inc. (PZZA) on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter profit of $32.6 million.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based company said it had profit of 88 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 69 cents per share.

The results topped Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 66 cents per share.

The pizza chain posted revenue of $439.6 million in the period, which fell short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $445.8 million.

For the year, the company reported profit of $102.8 million, or $2.74 per share. Revenue was reported as $1.71 billion.

Papa John's shares have increased slightly since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $85.63, a rise of 64 percent in the last 12 months.