Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) Given New $26.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 8th, 2026

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA – Free Report) had its target price reduced by Piper Sandler from $30.00 to $26.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on PZZA. Weiss Ratings downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $34.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Papa John’s International in a report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Papa John’s International from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark cut Papa John’s International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Papa John’s International from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $33.25.

View Our Latest Analysis on Papa John’s International

Papa John’s International Stock Performance

PZZA stock opened at $24.47 on Friday. Papa John’s International has a 52 week low of $23.84 and a 52 week high of $55.74. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $32.86 and its 200 day moving average is $33.81. The firm has a market cap of $805.11 million, a P/E ratio of 30.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.13.

Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $482.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. Papa John’s International had a net margin of 1.34% and a negative return on equity of 10.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Papa John’s International will post 1.47 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Papa John’s International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PZZA. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Papa John’s International by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 4,705 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Papa John’s International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $600,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Papa John’s International by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $813,000 after buying an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 25.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 310,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,762,000 after buying an additional 62,103 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Papa John’s International by 81.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 112,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,625,000 after buying an additional 50,536 shares during the period.

Trending Headlines about Papa John’s International

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.