Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Stock

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target for Papa John's International from $38.00 to $42.00, maintaining a "hold" rating, which suggests a potential downside in the stock price.
• Other brokerages, including Loop Capital and UBS Group, have differing price targets, with some maintaining "buy" ratings, while the average price target across analysts is $52.33.
• Papa John's reported $0.41 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and marking a 4.2% revenue increase year-over-year.

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $38.00 to $42.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

PZZA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Papa John's International from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $42.00 target price (up previously from $38.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $52.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John's International in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Papa John's International from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Papa John's International has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $52.33.

Papa John's International Trading Down 1.9%

PZZA stock traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.02. 193,001 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,318,108. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.92. The company has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John's International has a twelve month low of $30.16 and a twelve month high of $60.75.

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

Papa John's International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Papa John's International's dividend payout ratio is 81.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John's International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Papa John's International by 4,646.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 712 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 697 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Papa John's International by 937.8% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 851 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp acquired a new position in shares of Papa John's International during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 988 shares in the last quarter.

About Papa John's International

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.