Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for PZZA Earnings

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Papa John’s International in a research report issued on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.35 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.49. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Papa John’s International’s current full-year earnings is $2.19 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Papa John’s International’s Q4 2026 earnings at $0.36 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.50 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.47 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.49 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.90 EPS.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $498.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $517.25 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 11.16% and a net margin of 1.44%.Papa John’s International’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark dropped their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $35.70 on Monday. Papa John’s International has a one year low of $29.55 and a one year high of $55.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $34.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.31. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.23.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 4,705 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the first quarter valued at about $600,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Papa John’s International by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $813,000 after buying an additional 879 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Papa John’s International by 25.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 310,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,762,000 after buying an additional 62,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Papa John’s International by 81.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 112,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,625,000 after buying an additional 50,536 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 206.74%.

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.