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

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

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on PZZA. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Thursday. UBS Group reduced their price target on Papa John’s International from $42.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.50.

Papa John’s International Trading Up 6.1%

PZZA opened at $34.73 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.37. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. Papa John’s International has a 12-month low of $29.55 and a 12-month high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 earnings per share. Papa John’s International’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 221.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the second quarter valued at $59,000. Skylands Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the first quarter valued at $65,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at $71,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 42.9% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter valued at $73,000.

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.