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

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho dropped their target price 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, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Trading Up 1.6%

Papa John’s International stock opened at $33.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 40.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.12. Papa John’s International has a 12 month low of $29.55 and a 12 month high of $55.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.61.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.08). Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.37% and a negative return on equity of 10.71%. The firm had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.51 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Papa John’s International’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is presently 221.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at $12,969,000. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth $12,767,000. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 19.6% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,947,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,950,000 after buying an additional 318,816 shares in the last quarter. Gumshoe Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter worth $10,034,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter valued at about $8,729,000.

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.