Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Price Target Lowered to $40.00 at Stephens

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) had its price target cut by equities researchers at Stephens from $49.00 to $40.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Stephens’ price target suggests a potential upside of 29.41% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on PZZA. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.78.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 8.6%

Shares of PZZA opened at $30.91 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $36.19 and a 200 day moving average of $42.50. Papa John’s International has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $55.74. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.20.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $498.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $517.25 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.79% and a negative return on equity of 13.54%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 32.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 4,705 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Papa John’s International in the first quarter valued at approximately $600,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Papa John’s International by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 25.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 310,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,762,000 after buying an additional 62,103 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 81.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 112,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,625,000 after purchasing an additional 50,536 shares during the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Papa John’s International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Papa John’s outlined a corporate transformation expected to deliver roughly $60M of supply‑chain savings and accelerate restructuring, which management says will improve margins over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: International expansion remains a growth lever: management added 101 international stores in Q4 and reported 2025 free cash flow roughly doubled versus 2024, supporting cash generation and potential buybacks/dividends or reinvestment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS slightly beat consensus ($0.34 vs. $0.33), which offers a modest near‑term positive datapoint despite revenue weakness. Beats can limit downside if further operational progress is shown. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New product rollout: management is testing a Pan Pizza launch as part of a turnaround strategy; product success is uncertain but could help traffic if adopted. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes and screeners list PZZA among oversold consumer names — such thematic coverage can attract bargain hunters but does not change underlying fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Large-scale closures: Papa John’s announced plans to close roughly 200–300 underperforming North American locations in 2026, signaling weak consumer demand and raising near-term revenue risks. Market reaction reflects concern about sales and franchise health. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Top‑line pressure: Q4 revenue fell ~6.1% y/y to ~$498M and management cited a weak consumer backdrop and heavier promotions in North America, which compressed margins and drove lower profit. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Mizuho cut its price target to $34 (from $40) and other coverage noted the tough restaurant backdrop, which can pressure sentiment and weight on near‑term estimates. Article Title

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.