Analysts Set Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) PT at $49.44

Shares of Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $49.4444.

Several research analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Zacks Research upgraded Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Stephens dropped their price objective on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Papa John’s International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Huntington National Bank grew its position in Papa John’s International by 7,600.0% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 988 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Papa John’s International by 22.2% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Papa John’s International by 41.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Papa John’s International by 342.9% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $32.58 on Tuesday. Papa John’s International has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $55.74. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.81.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 164.29%.

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.