Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $58.82.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PZZA shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on Papa Johns International from $78.00 to $69.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Papa Johns International from $58.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Papa Johns International from $58.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th.

Papa Johns International Stock Down 1.4 %

PZZA opened at $51.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.19. Papa Johns International has a 52 week low of $39.90 and a 52 week high of $78.67. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.55.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.08. Papa Johns International had a net margin of 3.25% and a negative return on equity of 19.85%. The business had revenue of $507.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $520.13 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Papa Johns International will post 2.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Seven Eight Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 396.0% during the 1st quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 16,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 13,246 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Papa Johns International by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 889,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,838,000 after buying an additional 232,177 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 1.3% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 28,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,877,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 4.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,769,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,074,000 after acquiring an additional 166,246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 4.3% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 985,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,280,000 after acquiring an additional 40,996 shares in the last quarter.

About Papa Johns International

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.