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

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

PZZA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Papa John’s International from $45.00 to $35.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $42.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anson Funds Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 1st quarter worth about $2,431,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $650,000. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 22.3% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 47,121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,527,000 after acquiring an additional 8,584 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 76.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 60,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,964,000 after acquiring an additional 26,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Excelsior Advisor Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $212,000.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $36.47 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $34.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.51. The company has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.15. Papa John’s International has a 1 year low of $29.55 and a 1 year high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. 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.