Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 49,031 Shares of Papa John's International, Inc. $PZZA

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 626,352 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 49,031 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.90% of Papa John's International worth $20,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Papa John's International in the second quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Skylands Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the 1st quarter valued at $65,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Papa John's International in the 4th quarter valued at $71,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Papa John's International in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $92,000.

Papa John's International Trading Down 17.2%

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA opened at $24.64 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $33.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.88. The firm has a market cap of $810.66 million, a PE ratio of 29.69, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John's International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.28 and a 1-year high of $55.74.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $482.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. Papa John's International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Papa John's International

Here are the key news stories impacting Papa John's International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Papa John’s reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.46 per share, ahead of the $0.43–$0.45 analyst estimates, while revenue of $482.4 million modestly exceeded expectations. EPS also improved from $0.41 a year earlier. Papa John's Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced leadership appointments intended to support its ongoing transformation strategy, potentially strengthening execution as management works to improve the business. Papa Johns Announces Leadership Appointments to Support Ongoing Transformation Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually high, including heavy call buying reported previously and approximately 21,598 put options traded—about 430% above typical put volume. This signals elevated investor positioning and volatility but does not establish a clear fundamental direction.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined 8.8% year over year despite the earnings beat, highlighting continued challenges in the company’s operating performance. Management said the turnaround is taking longer than expected as the U.S. business faces a soft consumer environment. Papa John's Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Papa John’s cut its full-year outlook and suspended its dividend. The combination removes an important reason some investors may hold the stock and indicates management is prioritizing financial flexibility while domestic sales remain weak. Papa John's Cuts Outlook, Suspends Dividend as U.S. Business Continues to Struggle
• Negative Sentiment: Block & Leviton is investigating whether Papa John’s and certain executives violated federal securities laws, adding legal and reputational risk, although the investigation does not establish wrongdoing. PZZA Securities Fraud Investigation

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PZZA. Benchmark decreased 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. Zacks Research cut shares of Papa John's International from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John's International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 26th. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $34.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Papa John's International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $36.38.

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.

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