Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

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

Several other research analysts also recently commented on PZZA. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $32.86 on Friday. Papa John’s International has a 12 month low of $29.55 and a 12 month high of $55.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $33.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.68. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 39.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.12.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.Papa John’s International’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 221.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter worth about $12,969,000. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,767,000. Earnest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 19.6% in 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 position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,034,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $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.