Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $60.82.

PZZA has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp lowered shares of Papa Johns International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Bank of America increased their price target on Papa Johns International from $66.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Papa Johns International from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Shares of PZZA opened at $39.09 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $49.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.84. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.16. Papa Johns International has a one year low of $38.25 and a one year high of $78.67.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. The firm had revenue of $506.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.28 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Papa Johns International will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 66.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Papa Johns International in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in Papa Johns International by 225.4% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Papa Johns International by 27.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the third quarter valued at $156,000.

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.