Papa John's International, Inc. (PZZA) Stock Analysis
Consumer Cyclical · Restaurants
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $31.91: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 3.8/10. Specifically: High short interest: 25%; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.
Papa John's International, Inc. operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa Johns trademark in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Franchising,... Read more
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $31.91: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 3.8/10. Specifically: High short interest: 25%; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Score 3.8/10, high confidence.
Passes 6/9 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 58d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: aggressive.
Recent developments
updated 2026-06-09Recent Developments — Papa John's International, Inc.
Latest news
- NEWS 9 Consumer Discretionary Stocks With Whale Alerts In Today's Session — benzinga Jun 12, 2026 neutral
- NEWS 9 Consumer Discretionary Stocks Whale Activity In Today's Session — benzinga May 29, 2026 neutral
- NEWS Papa John's Serves Up Toy Story 5 Buzz With Disney, Pixar Team-Up — benzinga May 27, 2026 positive
- NEWS Papa Johns Partners With Disney, Pixar To Release Toy Story 5 — benzinga May 27, 2026 neutral
- NEWS America's Pizza Business Is Feeling The Squeeze As Another Chain Files For Bankruptcy While Domino's, Papa John's Warn C — benzinga May 16, 2026 negative
Generated 2026-06-15T18:11:46Z.
Upcoming dated catalysts
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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Rating Breakdown
5 floor-breakers
Revenue shrinking — -7.7% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static
Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static
Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static
Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
No near-term catalyst priced in. Thesis progression will come from fundamentals grinding, not event reaction.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $31.91: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 3.8/10. Specifically: High short interest: 25%; Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Prior stop was $29.78. Score 3.8/10, high confidence.
Take-profit target: $32.97 (+3.3% upside). Prior stop was $29.78. Stop-loss: $29.78.
Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0); Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 3.0), Material insider selling (8 sells, 0.09% of cap).
Papa John's International, Inc. trades at a P/E of 38.1 (forward 18.1). TrendMatrix value score: 5.8/10. Verdict: Sell.
24 analysts cover PZZA with a consensus score of 3.6/5. Average price target: $38.
What does Papa John's International, Inc. do?Papa John's International, Inc. operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa Johns...
Papa John's International, Inc. operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa Johns trademark in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Domestic Company-Owned Restaurants, North America Franchising, North America Commissaries, and International. The company operates dine-in and delivery restaurants. It also offers pizza and other food and beverage products. In addition, the company supplies pizza sauce, dough, food products, paper products, smallware, and cleaning supplies to restaurants. Papa John's International, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in Louisville, Kentucky.