Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Trading 6.1% Higher – Time to Buy?

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)’s share price was up 6.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $35.26 and last traded at $34.8010. Approximately 474,904 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 1,325,424 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.81.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on PZZA shares. Mizuho dropped 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 note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Friday, March 27th. Stephens lowered their price objective on Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark cut their target price on Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $33.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 39.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.18.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $498.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $517.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. Papa John’s International’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 206.74%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PZZA. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Papa John’s International by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Papa John’s International by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Papa John’s International by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank raised its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 3.4% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 9,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter.

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.