Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives $74.80 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.80.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Wedbush dropped their target price on shares of Papa John’s International from $76.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 10th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Benchmark dropped their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 9th.

Papa John’s International Stock Down 2.1 %

NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $45.97 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.13. The stock has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.16. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $45.20 and a twelve month high of $86.38.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.09. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.50% and a negative return on equity of 19.46%. The firm had revenue of $513.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $544.46 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Papa John’s International will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.78%.

Insider Activity at Papa John’s International

In other Papa John’s International news, CEO Ravi Thanawala purchased 1,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $52.41 per share, with a total value of $99,579.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,039,797.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 4.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,769,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,074,000 after acquiring an additional 166,246 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,724,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,850,000 after purchasing an additional 93,325 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Papa John’s International by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,698,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,502,000 after purchasing an additional 192,149 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 944,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,878,000 after buying an additional 21,198 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 932,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,124,000 after buying an additional 42,867 shares in the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John's International, Inc operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John's trademark in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Commissaries, North America Franchising, and International Operations.