Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Stock Price Down 4.5% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares of Papa John's International dropped 4.5%, hitting a low of $39.77 during trading, with a significant decrease in volume of 90% compared to the average.
• Recent analyst reports show mixed sentiment, with Stifel Nicolaus lowering their target price to $38.00 while others like Stephens maintain a target of $50.00 and a "buy" rating.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.46 per share, yielding approximately 4.6%, with a payout ratio of 78.30%.

Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) shares were down 4.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $39.77 and last traded at $39.93. Approximately 136,626 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 1,334,076 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PZZA shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 target price (up from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Papa John's International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Papa John's International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $51.58.

Papa John's International Stock Up 0.2%

The stock's 50-day moving average price is $46.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.16, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.13.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $518.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $512.48 million. Papa John's International had a net margin of 3.77% and a negative return on equity of 15.72%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John's International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John's International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in Papa John's International during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 769 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 611 shares during the period. Finally, Investors Research Corp purchased a new position in Papa John's International during the second quarter worth about $49,000.

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.