Stephens Reaffirms “Overweight” Rating for Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Stephens restated their overweight rating on shares of Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $50.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on PZZA. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $65.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.25.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

PZZA opened at $38.27 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.67. Papa Johns International has a 52-week low of $30.16 and a 52-week high of $60.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.33, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.09.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. The company had revenue of $518.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $512.48 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Papa Johns International will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Papa Johns International by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 111.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Papa Johns International by 214.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in Papa Johns International during the 4th quarter worth $58,000.

Papa Johns International Company Profile

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.