Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $60.82.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Friday, December 13th. KeyCorp downgraded Papa Johns International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Papa Johns International in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target 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.

Institutional Trading of Papa Johns International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in Papa Johns International during the third quarter worth about $286,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 29,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,481,000 after buying an additional 1,389 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $312,000. Bares Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Papa Johns International in the third quarter valued at approximately $363,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in Papa Johns International by 19.8% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 66,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,581,000 after acquiring an additional 10,964 shares during the period.

Papa Johns International Stock Up 0.5 %

Papa Johns International stock opened at $39.09 on Thursday. Papa Johns International has a 52-week low of $38.25 and a 52-week high of $78.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day moving average is $49.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.84.

Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $506.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.28 million. Papa Johns International had a negative return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 4.51%. Papa Johns International’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.53 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Papa Johns International will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Papa Johns International Announces Dividend

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

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.