Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.25.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Papa Johns International to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Monday, May 12th.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $51.79 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.53. Papa Johns International has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $60.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.18.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $512.48 million. Papa Johns International had a net margin of 4.51% and a negative return on equity of 19.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Papa Johns International will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International’s payout ratio is 78.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in Papa Johns International by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Papa Johns International by 4,646.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Papa Johns International by 937.8% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Papa Johns International by 111.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period.

Papa Johns International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc engages in the operation and franchise of pizza delivery and carryout restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Domestic Company-owned Restaurants, North America Franchising, North America Commissaries, International Operations, and All Others. The Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants segment consists of retail sales of pizza and side items, breadsticks, cheese sticks, chicken poppers and wings, dessert items, and canned and bottled beverages.