Wedbush Cuts Earnings Estimates for Papa Johns International

Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) – Equities research analysts at Wedbush lowered their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Papa Johns International in a report released on Friday, February 28th. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.54 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.70. Wedbush currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Papa Johns International’s current full-year earnings is $2.19 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Papa Johns International’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.56 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.29 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on PZZA. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Papa Johns International from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.67.

Papa Johns International Stock Performance

Shares of PZZA stock opened at $46.63 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $41.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.76. Papa Johns International has a 52 week low of $35.28 and a 52 week high of $72.88.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa Johns International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PZZA. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in Papa Johns International by 300.0% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Papa Johns International by 111.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new position in Papa Johns International during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position 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 during the period.

About Papa Johns International

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.