Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $39.81 and last traded at $39.90, with a volume of 1149211 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on PZZA. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Papa Johns International from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Papa Johns International from $66.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Papa Johns International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.82.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $50.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.16.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $506.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $497.28 million. Papa Johns International had a net margin of 4.51% and a negative return on equity of 19.61%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.53 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Papa Johns International, Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 66.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 646 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Papa Johns International in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Papa Johns International by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 922 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 27.5% in 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 purchased a new position in shares of Papa Johns International in the third quarter worth approximately $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.