Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report 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 for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Benchmark cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of Papa John’s International stock opened at $30.37 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $33.66 and its 200 day moving average is $34.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $999.17 million, a PE ratio of 36.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.12. Papa John’s International has a 1 year low of $29.55 and a 1 year high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 EPS 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 company had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Papa John’s International’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 221.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,969,000. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,767,000. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in Papa John’s International by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,947,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,950,000 after purchasing an additional 318,816 shares during the period. Gumshoe Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,034,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,729,000.

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.