Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives $32.00 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.00.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PZZA shares. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 26th. Zacks Research downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Papa John’s International from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA opened at $22.68 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.12. Papa John’s International has a 52 week low of $22.08 and a 52 week high of $55.74. The firm has a market cap of $746.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.08.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.98% and a net margin of 1.34%.The firm had revenue of $482.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 0.8% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 42,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Papa John’s International by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $441,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Papa John’s International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 23,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $915,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 7,019 shares of the company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period.

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.