Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Stock Price Down 4.4% – What’s Next?

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)’s share price fell 4.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $19.02 and last traded at $19.0980. 209,690 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 1,287,898 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on Papa John’s International from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Benchmark cut Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 26th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Papa John’s International from $26.00 to $20.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $28.57.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.28. The company has a market capitalization of $631.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.17.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16. The company had revenue of $454.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $459.48 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 1.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PEAK6 LLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. PEAK6 LLC now owns 30,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 219.2% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 138,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,729,000 after acquiring an additional 95,092 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the third quarter worth $222,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Papa John’s International in the third quarter worth $4,607,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 65.9% in the third quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 457,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,015,000 after acquiring an additional 181,800 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc. operates and franchises pizza restaurants under the Papa Johns brand. Its restaurants offer pizza alongside sides, desserts and beverages, with ordering options that include delivery and carryout. The company was founded in 1984 by John Schnatter, who opened its first restaurant in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Papa Johns has since expanded across the United States and into international markets, serving customers through company-owned restaurants and franchised locations.