Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Reduce” rating on Papa John’s, with three sell ratings and seven holds; the average 12-month price target is $33.25.
• Several brokerages recently lowered their targets, including UBS to $28 and Stephens to $24, while maintaining neutral or equal-weight ratings.
• Papa John’s shares opened at $23.85, near their 12-month low of $23.27. Although quarterly EPS of $0.46 slightly exceeded estimates, revenue fell 8.8% year over year to $482.4 million.

Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" by the ten brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.25.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PZZA. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John's International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John's International from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Friday. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $24.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Friday. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Papa John's International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Papa John's International Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ PZZA opened at $23.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $784.71 million, a P/E ratio of 30.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John's International has a twelve month low of $23.27 and a twelve month high of $55.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $32.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.70.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $482.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. Papa John's International had a net margin of 1.34% and a negative return on equity of 10.98%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Papa John's International will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Papa John's International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Papa John's International in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the second quarter worth approximately $59,000. Skylands Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the first quarter worth $65,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 42.9% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 670 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.

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