Brokerages Set Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Price Target at $74.80

Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.80.

Several research firms have commented on PZZA. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $87.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Wedbush cut their price target on Papa John’s International from $76.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 10th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on Papa John’s International from $78.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 2.1 %

NASDAQ:PZZA opened at $45.97 on Thursday. Papa John’s International has a 12-month low of $45.20 and a 12-month high of $86.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $51.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.13.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.09. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 3.50%. The business had revenue of $513.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $544.46 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 20th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 17th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is 81.78%.

Insider Transactions at Papa John’s International

In other Papa John’s International news, CEO Ravi Thanawala acquired 1,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $52.41 per share, with a total value of $99,579.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,039,797.20. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 5,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 6.7% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 175.3% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 201,063 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,717,000 after acquiring an additional 128,016 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 556,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,965,000 after acquiring an additional 25,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 731.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 62,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,000 after acquiring an additional 54,949 shares during the period.

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.