Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.50.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PZZA. Stephens reduced their price objective on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday. Mizuho upgraded shares of Papa John’s International to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down from $62.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, November 10th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the first quarter worth approximately $1,060,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 142.1% in the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 2,189 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Papa John’s International by 937.8% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 49.7% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 28,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,160,000 after acquiring an additional 9,373 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter worth $283,000.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

NASDAQ PZZA opened at $40.30 on Monday. 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 $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day moving average of $42.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.39.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 1.79%.The firm had revenue of $508.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $523.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. 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.