Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given “Overweight” Rating at Stephens

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Stephens in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $40.00 target price on the stock. Stephens’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 8.78% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. 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 note on Friday, May 8th. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.50.

Papa John’s International Price Performance

Papa John’s International stock opened at $36.77 on Wednesday. Papa John’s International has a 12 month low of $29.55 and a 12 month high of $55.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $34.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.22. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 44.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.15.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.08). Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The business had revenue of $478.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.36 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Papa John’s International will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Papa John’s International by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 4,705 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $600,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $813,000 after buying an additional 879 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 310,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,762,000 after buying an additional 62,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 81.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 112,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,625,000 after buying an additional 50,536 shares in the last quarter.

About Papa John’s International

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.