Papa John’s International, Inc. $PZZA Position Decreased by Cadence Bank

Cadence Bank decreased its holdings in Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 56,255 shares of the company’s stock after selling 55,123 shares during the quarter. Cadence Bank owned 0.17% of Papa John’s International worth $2,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Papa John’s International by 10.5% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,700,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,201,000 after purchasing an additional 161,906 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in Papa John’s International by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,615,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,771,000 after purchasing an additional 10,756 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its holdings in Papa John’s International by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 1,174,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,546,000 after buying an additional 251,560 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Papa John’s International by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,108,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,380,000 after buying an additional 21,742 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Papa John’s International by 3.1% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 874,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,104,000 after buying an additional 26,190 shares in the last quarter.

Papa John’s International Trading Up 1.9%

NASDAQ PZZA opened at $36.79 on Friday. Papa John’s International, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.55 and a 1 year high of $55.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.50. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.23.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $498.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $517.25 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.44% and a negative return on equity of 11.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Papa John’s International, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Papa John’s International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Papa John’s International’s payout ratio is currently 206.74%.

More Papa John’s International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Qatari‑backed Irth Capital (and other suitors) have submitted a roughly $1.5 billion take‑private proposal (~$47/share) are driving upside because the offer represents a material premium to recent trading and creates buyout speculation. Papa John’s Weighs Takeover Offer As Valuation And Risks Stay In Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Market headlines showing a sharp intraday jump (reports of a 15–19% surge) reinforce momentum and short‑term buying tied to the takeover narrative. Papa John’s (PZZA) Stock Jumps 19% Following $1.5B Buyout Proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO comments indicate management remains focused on competing and running the business rather than treating the bid as a certainty — that could slow a quick transaction and keeps operational execution in focus. Papa John’s CEO Focuses on Competing, Not Take-Private Bid
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/industry pieces highlight Papa John’s ongoing digital and loyalty investments — a longer‑term positive for sales and margins but unlikely to move the stock as much as takeover speculation in the near term. Can Papa John’s Digital Investments & Loyalty Expansion Drive Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued mixed estimate changes: they trimmed Q1 and Q3 2026 EPS forecasts (and left a Hold rating) even as they raised a Q2 2027 forecast—these downward near‑term revisions highlight margin and revenue risk and temper the fundamentals under the takeover chatter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PZZA shares. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Papa John’s International from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Papa John’s International from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research raised Papa John’s International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on Papa John’s International from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Papa John’s International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.00.

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.