Papa John's International, Inc. NASDAQ: PZZA is a prominent player in the fast-casual dining segment and the company has experienced a challenging 2024. Papa John's stock price has declined approximately 35% year-to-date, reflecting the broader impact of macroeconomic headwinds and a slowdown in organic delivery orders.
PZZA's focus on menu innovation, enhanced digital platforms and a revamped loyalty program bodes well. However, soft comps are a headwind.
Papa John's struggles with aggregator channels and outdated loyalty programs, but recent improvements in rewards and value perception show promise for a turnaround. Domino's success with its revamped rewards program highlights the importance of strong owned channels before embracing third-party platforms. Despite recent challenges, Papa John's is focusing on optimizing its menu, enhancing value perception, and expanding strategically to drive future growth.
KeyBanc analyst Eric Gonzalez downgraded Papa John's to Sector Weight from Overweight without a price target. The firm says its industry conversations at the Restaurant Finance and Development Conference suggest a recovery in Papa John's sales trends and store-level profitability metrics could take longer than previously expected, and potentially require reinvestment on the part of the company and its franchisees. The fourth quarter is shaping up to be another difficult period for the brand, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA ) Q3 2024 Earnings Conference Call November 7, 2024 8:00 AM ET Company Participants Stacy Frole - Vice President, Investor Relations Todd Penegor - President and Chief Executive Officer Ravi Thanawala - Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, International Conference Call Participants Eric Gonzalez - KeyBanc Capital Markets Brian Bittner - Oppenheimer Andrew Strelzik - BMO Capital Markets Chris O'Coll - Stifel Financial Group Sarah Senatori - Bank of America Peter Saleh - BCIG Brian Mullen - Piper Sandler Dennis Geiger - UBS Jim Salera - Stephens Inc Jim Sanderson - Northcoast Research Operator Thank you for standing by and welcome to Papa John's Third Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode.
PZZA's third-quarter fiscal 2024 results reflect a challenging consumer environment, attributed to lower sales volume.
Although the revenue and EPS for Papa John's (PZZA) give a sense of how its business performed in the quarter ended September 2024, it might be worth considering how some key metrics compare with Wall Street estimates and the year-ago numbers.
Papa John's (PZZA) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.43 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.42 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.53 per share a year ago.
Pizza chain says it's still operating in a challenging consumer environment.
PZZA's third-quarter 2024 results are likely to be hurt by disappointing comparable sales.
Papa John's (PZZA) has an impressive earnings surprise history and currently possesses the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely beat in its next quarterly report.
Papa John's stock has been volatile amid weak sales trends. The company remains profitable and generates positive free cash flow, supporting overall solid fundamentals. The potential that growth can rebound could be a catalyst for the stock to rally higher.