Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $27.32 and last traded at $26.4020, with a volume of 285180 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on PZZA. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Benchmark cut their target price on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $36.38.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 16.6%

The stock has a market cap of $816.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.96.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.01. 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 $482.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Great Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,843,000. Willis Investment Counsel acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth about $1,336,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,816,000 after buying an additional 42,810 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 53.3% in the 1st quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 239,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,774,000 after acquiring an additional 83,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anson Funds Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,431,000.

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.