Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Price Target Lowered to $28.00 at UBS Group

by · The Markets Daily

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA – Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by UBS Group from $33.00 to $28.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 14.43% from the stock’s previous close.

PZZA has been the subject of several other research reports. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (down from $38.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Benchmark cut shares of Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $34.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, July 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $33.25.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on PZZA

Papa John’s International Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Papa John’s International stock traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.47. The stock had a trading volume of 3,439,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,227,520. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $33.05 and its 200 day moving average is $33.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $805.06 million, a PE ratio of 29.48, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.13. Papa John’s International has a twelve month low of $23.84 and a twelve month high of $55.74.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $482.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.25 million. Papa John’s International had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 1.37%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Papa John’s International will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the second quarter valued at $182,315,000. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its position in Papa John’s International by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,947,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,950,000 after buying an additional 318,816 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake 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. boosted its position in Papa John’s International by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,657,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,816,000 after buying an additional 42,810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Papa John’s International by 2.0% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,108,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,380,000 after acquiring an additional 21,742 shares during the last quarter.

Key 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

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading