Analysts Set Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Target Price at $50.50

Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.50.

PZZA has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Stephens dropped their price target on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Papa John’s International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down previously from $62.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, October 6th.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $41.16 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $45.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.75, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 1.16. Papa John’s International has a 52 week low of $30.16 and a 52 week high of $55.74.

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

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 164.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Papa John’s International by 22.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in Papa John’s International by 3.1% during the second quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 7,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 0.4% in the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 74,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,650,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Papa John’s International by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc engages in the operation and franchise of pizza delivery and carryout restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Domestic Company-owned Restaurants, North America Franchising, North America Commissaries, International Operations, and All Others. The Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants segment consists of retail sales of pizza and side items, breadsticks, cheese sticks, chicken poppers and wings, dessert items, and canned and bottled beverages.