Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. Makes New Investment in Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA

Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 256,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,374,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 504,514 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International during the third quarter valued at approximately $13,036,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 27.3% in the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 1,174,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,546,000 after acquiring an additional 251,560 shares during the period. Arvin Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,979,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Papa John’s International by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,700,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,201,000 after purchasing an additional 161,906 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.00.

Key Stories Impacting Papa John’s International

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Qatari?backed Irth Capital (and other suitors) have submitted a roughly $1.5 billion take?private proposal (~$47/share) are driving upside because the offer represents a material premium to recent trading and creates buyout speculation. Papa John’s Weighs Takeover Offer As Valuation And Risks Stay In Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Market headlines showing a sharp intraday jump (reports of a 15–19% surge) reinforce momentum and short?term buying tied to the takeover narrative. Papa John’s (PZZA) Stock Jumps 19% Following $1.5B Buyout Proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO comments indicate management remains focused on competing and running the business rather than treating the bid as a certainty — that could slow a quick transaction and keeps operational execution in focus. Papa John’s CEO Focuses on Competing, Not Take-Private Bid
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/industry pieces highlight Papa John’s ongoing digital and loyalty investments — a longer?term positive for sales and margins but unlikely to move the stock as much as takeover speculation in the near term. Can Papa John’s Digital Investments & Loyalty Expansion Drive Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued mixed estimate changes: they trimmed Q1 and Q3 2026 EPS forecasts (and left a Hold rating) even as they raised a Q2 2027 forecast—these downward near?term revisions highlight margin and revenue risk and temper the fundamentals under the takeover chatter.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Papa John’s International stock opened at $36.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 41.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.23. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.55 and a 12 month high of $55.74. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.45.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 1.44%.The firm had revenue of $498.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $517.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 206.74%.

Papa John’s International 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.