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

Key Points

• Papa John’s shares fell 4.4% to about $19.10, with trading volume roughly 84% below its average.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious: the consensus rating is “Reduce,” with an average price target of $28.57; recent rating changes include several downgrades to Hold or Sell.
• Latest quarterly EPS of $0.16 met estimates, but revenue of $454.84 million missed forecasts and fell 10.5% year over year; EPS was also down from $0.32 a year earlier.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on PZZA shares. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Papa John's International from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered Papa John's International from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Papa John's International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Zacks Research raised shares of Papa John's International from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Benchmark cut shares of Papa John's International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.57.

Papa John's International Trading Down 3.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $634.49 million, a PE ratio of 25.77, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.45.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.16. Papa John's International had a net margin of 1.31% and a negative return on equity of 9.65%. The firm had revenue of $454.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $459.48 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Papa John's International, Inc. will post 1.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Papa John's International during the second quarter worth $29,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Papa John's International during the second quarter worth $33,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in Papa John's International by 2.3% during the third quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 42,439 shares of the company's stock worth $836,000 after purchasing an additional 954 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 63.6% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,465 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.

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