Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives $36.50 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com 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 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.50.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PZZA shares. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $34.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, July 13th. 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. Zacks Research downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter worth $59,000. Skylands Capital LLC bought a new stake in Papa John’s International during the first quarter valued at about $65,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter valued at about $71,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 42.9% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $32.86 on Friday. Papa John’s International has a 12 month low of $29.55 and a 12 month high of $55.74. The stock has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.65.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $478.61 million for 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 company’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.36 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is currently 221.69%.

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.