Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.50.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $34.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research cut Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Benchmark lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st.

Papa John’s International Stock Up 4.9%

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $33.70 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.69. Papa John’s International has a 52 week low of $29.55 and a 52 week high of $55.74. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.12.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 10.71%. The firm had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 221.69%.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PZZA. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at about $71,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. Skylands Capital LLC bought a new stake in Papa John’s International during the first quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 42.9% during the first 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 last quarter.

Key Papa John’s International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Papa John’s International this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Papa John’s International (PZZA) from Hold to Strong Sell, signaling a more cautious view on the stock. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: The firm lowered its Q3 2027 EPS estimate to $0.32 from $0.42, implying softer near-term earnings expectations. Tickerreport.com
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 2027 EPS estimates were cut to $0.39 from $0.46, adding to concerns about slower growth into late 2027. Tickerreport.com
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2028 EPS was trimmed to $0.47 from $0.48, while Q2 2028 EPS was reduced to $0.38 from $0.49, reinforcing a softer forecast for future profitability. Tickerreport.com
• Negative Sentiment: FY2027 EPS was lowered to $1.55 from $1.73, and FY2028 EPS was cut to $1.74 from $1.90, indicating weaker long-term earnings expectations. Tickerreport.com

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.