Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $29.55 and last traded at $30.65, with a volume of 545932 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PZZA. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Stephens cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.64. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.23.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its 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. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 1.44%.The business had revenue of $498.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $517.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 206.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of PZZA. WBI Investments LLC lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 46.5% during the 2nd quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 37,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,852,000 after acquiring an additional 12,004 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International in the third quarter valued at approximately $13,036,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,105,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 271.6% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 690,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,783,000 after purchasing an additional 504,514 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 18.9% during the second quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 922,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,162,000 after purchasing an additional 146,640 shares in the last quarter.

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.