Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Receives “Equal Weight” Rating from Stephens

Stephens restated their equal weight rating on shares of Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) in a report issued on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $24.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $38.00.

PZZA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 26th. Benchmark downgraded Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $34.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Papa John’s International from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $33.25.

Papa John’s International Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of PZZA opened at $24.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $32.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.81. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $23.84 and a twelve month high of $55.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $805.11 million, a PE ratio of 30.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.13.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.98% and a net margin of 1.34%.The business had revenue of $482.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.25 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. Skylands Capital LLC purchased a new position in Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter valued at about $65,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International during the 4th quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter.

More Papa John’s International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Papa John’s International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Papa John’s reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.46 per share and revenue of $482.4 million, slightly ahead of analyst estimates. EPS also improved from $0.41 a year earlier. Papa John’s Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management said it remains committed to a turnaround, targeting $180 million to $190 million in 2026 adjusted EBITDA and using cost controls and strategic initiatives to improve performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: Papa John’s announced leadership appointments intended to support its ongoing transformation strategy, including an expanded strategic role for its legal chief as competition intensifies. Papa Johns Announces Leadership Appointments
• Negative Sentiment: The company forecast a 2% to 4% decline in 2026 global system-wide sales and cut its outlook, indicating that the turnaround is taking longer than expected. Its North American business continues to face weak consumer demand and softer comparable sales.
• Negative Sentiment: Papa John’s suspended its dividend to preserve cash and fund the turnaround. The decision removes an important income component for shareholders and signals increased financial pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts responded cautiously: Piper Sandler lowered its price target from $30 to $26 and moved to a neutral rating, while Stephens cut its target from $38 to $24 and maintained an equal-weight rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment was further pressured by unusually heavy put-option activity and a securities-fraud investigation announcement concerning whether the company and certain executives violated federal securities laws. These developments are allegations and do not establish wrongdoing. PZZA Securities Fraud Investigation

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.