Papa John’s International’s (PZZA) “Equal Weight” Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $19.00 price target on the stock. Stephens‘s target price would suggest a potential downside of 4.95% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $26.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Benchmark downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $42.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Papa John’s International currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $28.57.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $19.99 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $20.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.80. Papa John’s International has a one year low of $17.69 and a one year high of $48.83. The stock has a market cap of $658.07 million, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.17.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.16. 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 $454.84 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $459.48 million. Analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PZZA. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter valued at $182,315,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter worth $83,186,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Papa John’s International by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 626,352 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,300,000 after purchasing an additional 49,031 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter worth $13,942,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the second quarter worth $10,138,000.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc operates and franchises restaurants under the Papa Johns brand. The company specializes in pizza and related food products, serving customers primarily through delivery, carryout and dine-in locations, as well as online and mobile ordering platforms.

Its menu includes a variety of pizzas with different crusts and toppings, along with sides such as breadsticks, chicken products and desserts. Papa Johns also offers soft drinks, dipping sauces and other complementary items, with menus and promotions adapted to local markets.

Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter, Papa Johns has grown into an international restaurant system with locations across North America and various markets in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and other regions.