Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Papa John's International has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from eleven analysts, with six recommending a hold and five a buy. The average twelve-month price target is $52.33.
• The company recently reported earnings of $0.41 per share, exceeding estimates, with revenues increasing by 4.2% year-over-year.
• Papa John's International has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.8% and a payout ratio of 81.42%.

Shares of Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.3333.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PZZA. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 target price (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Institutional Trading of Papa John's International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 4,646.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 937.8% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 181.8% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 947 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Investors Research Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the second quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 988 shares in the last quarter.

Papa John's International Price Performance

Shares of PZZA traded up $1.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $48.71. 832,633 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,160,777. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.27. Papa John's International has a one year low of $30.16 and a one year high of $60.75.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $529.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $515.48 million. Papa John's International had a negative return on equity of 14.42% and a net margin of 3.58%.The company's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Papa John's International will post 2.19 EPS for the current year.

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.42%.

Papa John's International Company Profile

Papa John's International, Inc engages in the operation and franchise of pizza delivery and carryout restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Domestic Company-owned Restaurants, North America Franchising, North America Commissaries, International Operations, and All Others. The Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants segment consists of retail sales of pizza and side items, breadsticks, cheese sticks, chicken poppers and wings, dessert items, and canned and bottled beverages.