Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Benchmark dropped their price target on Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $36.50.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $33.20 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $33.83 and its 200-day moving average is $34.78. Papa John’s International has a 12-month low of $29.55 and a 12-month high of $55.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.12.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $478.61 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Skylands Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Papa John’s International by 42.9% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 670 shares during the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

Papa John’s International, Inc is a leading American pizza restaurant chain known for its focus on high-quality ingredients and consistent product offerings. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter in Jeffersonville, Indiana, the company has grown to operate thousands of restaurants across the United States and in more than 40 international markets. Papa John’s restaurants are primarily franchised, supported by a network of corporate-owned outlets that together drive brand standards, operational guidance and marketing efforts.

The core menu at Papa John’s centers on a variety of hand-tossed and pan pizzas made with a signature stone-baked crust and topped with real cheese, vine-ripened tomato sauce and premium meats and vegetables.