Papa John's International, Inc. (PZZA) Stock Analysis
Range Bound setup
Consumer Cyclical · Restaurants
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $32.80: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 3.9/10. Specifically: High short interest: 22%; Elevated put/call ratio: 1.56; Below-average business quality.
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 $32.80: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 3.9/10. Specifically: High short interest: 22%; Elevated put/call ratio: 1.56; Below-average business quality. Chart setup: RSI 40 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Score 3.9/10, high confidence.
Passes 5/9 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, earnings proximity 79d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and death cross (50MA < 200MA) and news bankruptcy. Suitability: aggressive.
Recent Developments — Papa John's International, Inc.
Latest 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
- Deal Dispatch: GoPro Retains Houlihan Lokey In Strategic Review, Brookfield Buys World Freight Company, YesCare Corp. Ba — benzinga May 15, 2026 neutral
- Stephens & Co. Reiterates Overweight on Papa John's International, Maintains $40 Price Target — benzinga May 15, 2026 positive
- 12 Consumer Discretionary Stocks Moving In Thursday's After-Market Session — benzinga May 14, 2026 neutral
- 'Largest Papa John's franchisee joins Irth in buyout bid for pizza chain, sources say'- Reuters Exclusive — benzinga May 14, 2026 positive
Generated 2026-05-20T21:06:21Z.
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. Full disclaimer
Rating Breakdown
3 floor-breakers
Revenue shrinking — -7.7% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.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
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $32.80: Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 3.9/10. Specifically: High short interest: 22%; Elevated put/call ratio: 1.56; Below-average business quality. Chart setup: RSI 40 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Prior stop was $30.68. Score 3.9/10, high confidence.
Take-profit target: $37.30 (+13.1% upside). Prior stop was $30.68. Stop-loss: $30.68.
Target reached (-1.5% upside); Quality below floor (3.7 < 4.0); Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 3.0), Material insider selling (17 sells, 0.11% of cap).
Papa John's International, Inc. trades at a P/E of 39.7 (forward 18.9). TrendMatrix value score: 5.6/10. Verdict: Sell.
24 analysts cover PZZA with a consensus score of 3.7/5. Average price target: $37.
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.