Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Price Target Cut to $28.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) had its price target reduced by UBS Group from $33.00 to $28.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Benchmark downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $24.00 price target (down from $38.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $33.25.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $24.47 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.81. The company has a market cap of $805.11 million, a P/E ratio of 30.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $23.84 and a twelve month high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $182,315,000. Earnest Partners LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 318,816 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 10.5% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,700,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,201,000 after purchasing an additional 161,906 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,816,000 after purchasing an additional 42,810 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.0% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,108,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,380,000 after purchasing an additional 21,742 shares during the last quarter.

More Papa John’s International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Papa John’s International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Papa John’s reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.46 per share and revenue of $482.4 million, slightly ahead of analyst estimates. EPS also improved from $0.41 a year earlier. Papa John’s Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management said it remains committed to a turnaround, targeting $180 million to $190 million in 2026 adjusted EBITDA and using cost controls and strategic initiatives to improve performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: Papa John’s announced leadership appointments intended to support its ongoing transformation strategy, including an expanded strategic role for its legal chief as competition intensifies. Papa Johns Announces Leadership Appointments
• Negative Sentiment: The company forecast a 2% to 4% decline in 2026 global system-wide sales and cut its outlook, indicating that the turnaround is taking longer than expected. Its North American business continues to face weak consumer demand and softer comparable sales.
• Negative Sentiment: Papa John’s suspended its dividend to preserve cash and fund the turnaround. The decision removes an important income component for shareholders and signals increased financial pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts responded cautiously: Piper Sandler lowered its price target from $30 to $26 and moved to a neutral rating, while Stephens cut its target from $38 to $24 and maintained an equal-weight rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment was further pressured by unusually heavy put-option activity and a securities-fraud investigation announcement concerning whether the company and certain executives violated federal securities laws. These developments are allegations and do not establish wrongdoing. PZZA Securities Fraud Investigation

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.