Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Papa John’s International’s Q4 2025 earnings at $0.55 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $1.74 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.66 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.70 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on PZZA. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down from $62.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target (up from $50.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens set a $50.00 target price on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.78.

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

Papa John’s International stock opened at $52.88 on Monday. Papa John’s International has a fifty-two week low of $30.16 and a fifty-two week high of $60.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $47.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.08.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 3.58% and a negative return on equity of 14.42%. The business had revenue of $529.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $515.48 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Papa John’s International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa John’s International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its holdings in Papa John’s International by 271.6% during the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 690,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,783,000 after buying an additional 504,514 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $14,348,000. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Papa John’s International during the 3rd quarter valued at $13,036,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the first quarter worth $10,115,000. Finally, Arvin Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the second quarter worth $9,979,000.

Papa John’s International Company Profile

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.