Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark dropped their price objective 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. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Zacks Research cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $32.86 on Friday. Papa John’s International has a one year low of $29.55 and a one year high of $55.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.59, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a fifty day moving average of $33.85 and a 200 day moving average of $34.68.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 10.71%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. Analysts expect that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PZZA. Great Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,843,000. Willis Investment Counsel bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,336,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,816,000 after purchasing an additional 42,810 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth $6,416,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 156,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,024,000 after purchasing an additional 31,500 shares during the period.

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.