Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.4444.

A number of brokerages recently commented on PZZA. Stephens decreased their price target on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 7,600.0% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 988 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 41.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 342.9% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 1,368 shares during the period.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $31.79 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.02. Papa John’s International has a 1 year low of $30.16 and a 1 year high of $55.74. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.20.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 164.29%.

Papa John’s International Company 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.