Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives $45.00 Average Target Price from Analysts

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.00.

PZZA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Benchmark lowered their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA opened at $35.70 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $34.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.31. Papa John’s International has a 1-year low of $29.55 and a 1-year high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $498.18 million during 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%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 206.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $73,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Papa John’s International by 41.0% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period.

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.