Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

PZZA has been the topic of several other reports. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

PZZA stock opened at $32.86 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $33.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.65. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.12. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $29.55 and a twelve month high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The company had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Great Hill Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,843,000. Willis Investment Counsel bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,336,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,816,000 after purchasing an additional 42,810 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,416,000. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 53.3% during the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 239,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,774,000 after purchasing an additional 83,350 shares during the period.

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.