228,250 Shares in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA Acquired by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 228,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,393,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 6.5% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 18,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $716,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 0.8% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 42,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Finally, Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Acorn Financial Advisory Services Inc. ADV now owns 18,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 436 shares during the period.

Key Headlines Impacting Papa John’s International

Here are the key news stories impacting Papa John’s International this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Investors purchased 24,081 put options on Friday, about 453% above the typical volume of 4,355 contracts. The activity signals heightened expectations for downside risk, although options trading alone does not confirm the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered its Papa John’s earnings forecasts across multiple periods and maintained a “Strong Sell” rating. Its FY2026 EPS estimate fell to $1.21 from $1.40, FY2027 to $1.00 from $1.55, and FY2028 to $1.54 from $1.74.
• Negative Sentiment: The quarterly revisions were also substantial: Q3 2026 EPS was reduced to $0.14 from $0.28, Q4 2026 to $0.29 from $0.39, Q1 2027 to $0.28 from $0.46, and Q2 2027 to $0.20 from $0.39. Additional cuts lowered Q3 2027 EPS to $0.26 from $0.32 and Q2 2028 to $0.27 from $0.38.
• Negative Sentiment: The estimate reductions place Zacks’ FY2027 forecast at $1.00 per share, below the broader current-year consensus of $1.22, reinforcing concerns about the company’s earnings trajectory.

Papa John’s International Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of PZZA opened at $23.94 on Friday. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $55.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $788.10 million, a P/E ratio of 30.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.92.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $482.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.98% and a net margin of 1.34%.The firm’s revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PZZA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Papa John’s International from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Benchmark downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Papa John’s International has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $32.00.

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.