Papa Johns International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Sets New 12-Month Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Papa Johns International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday after Benchmark lowered their price target on the stock from $65.00 to $50.00. Benchmark currently has a buy rating on the stock. Papa Johns International traded as low as $30.18 and last traded at $30.68, with a volume of 98241 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $31.16.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on PZZA. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Papa Johns International from $40.00 to $38.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Northcoast Research raised Papa Johns International to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Papa Johns International from $56.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital dropped their target price 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. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Papa Johns International in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Papa Johns International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PZZA. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Papa Johns International by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in Papa Johns International by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. boosted its holdings in Papa Johns International by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 10,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Papa Johns International by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 18,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $776,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares during the last quarter.

Papa Johns International Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $41.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.25.

Papa Johns International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.96%. Papa Johns International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.02%.

Papa Johns 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.