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

Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $38.50.

A number of analysts have weighed in on PZZA shares. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $42.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Thursday, May 14th.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth about $71,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth about $73,000. Skylands Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 42.9% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the period.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $33.24 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.18. Papa John’s International has a 1-year low of $29.55 and a 1-year high of $55.74. The company’s fifty day moving average is $34.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.44.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Papa John’s International will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 221.69%.

About Papa John’s International

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.