Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.80.

A number of analysts have weighed in on PZZA shares. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Papa John’s International from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 9th. BTIG Research cut Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Wedbush reduced their target price on Papa John’s International from $76.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Papa John’s International from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th.

Insider Transactions at Papa John’s International

In other news, CEO Ravi Thanawala acquired 1,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $52.41 per share, for a total transaction of $99,579.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,039,797.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 8.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Papa John’s International in the 3rd quarter worth about $102,786,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,204,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,479,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,381,000 after acquiring an additional 353,832 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Papa John’s International by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 889,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,838,000 after acquiring an additional 232,177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 5,031.5% in the third quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 197,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,439,000 after purchasing an additional 193,161 shares during the period.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Papa John’s International stock opened at $47.19 on Thursday. Papa John’s International has a fifty-two week low of $46.20 and a fifty-two week high of $86.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $513.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $544.46 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 3.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa John’s International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th were paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 81.78%.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John's International, Inc operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John's trademark in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Commissaries, North America Franchising, and International Operations.