Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Price Target Lowered to $40.00 at Stephens

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Stephens from $49.00 to $40.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Stephens’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 29.41% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on PZZA. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Papa John’s International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.78.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 8.6%

NASDAQ PZZA opened at $30.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.20. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $30.16 and a twelve month high of $55.74. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $36.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.50.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 13.54% and a net margin of 1.79%.The business had revenue of $498.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $517.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. WBI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 46.5% in the 2nd quarter. WBI Investments LLC now owns 37,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,852,000 after buying an additional 12,004 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Papa John’s International in the third quarter worth approximately $13,036,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 271.6% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 690,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,783,000 after acquiring an additional 504,514 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its position in Papa John’s International by 18.9% during the second quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 922,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,162,000 after acquiring an additional 146,640 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $587,000.

Key Papa John’s International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Papa John’s outlined a corporate transformation expected to deliver roughly $60M of supply?chain savings and accelerate restructuring, which management says will improve margins over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: International expansion remains a growth lever: management added 101 international stores in Q4 and reported 2025 free cash flow roughly doubled versus 2024, supporting cash generation and potential buybacks/dividends or reinvestment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS slightly beat consensus ($0.34 vs. $0.33), which offers a modest near?term positive datapoint despite revenue weakness. Beats can limit downside if further operational progress is shown. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New product rollout: management is testing a Pan Pizza launch as part of a turnaround strategy; product success is uncertain but could help traffic if adopted. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes and screeners list PZZA among oversold consumer names — such thematic coverage can attract bargain hunters but does not change underlying fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Large-scale closures: Papa John’s announced plans to close roughly 200–300 underperforming North American locations in 2026, signaling weak consumer demand and raising near-term revenue risks. Market reaction reflects concern about sales and franchise health. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Top?line pressure: Q4 revenue fell ~6.1% y/y to ~$498M and management cited a weak consumer backdrop and heavier promotions in North America, which compressed margins and drove lower profit. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Mizuho cut its price target to $34 (from $40) and other coverage noted the tough restaurant backdrop, which can pressure sentiment and weight on near?term estimates. Article Title

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.