Ravi Thanawala, CEO at
Papa John’s International (PZZA), recently bought 1,900 shares. The buy increased his stake by 5%, and came to a total cost of $99,579.
This is the only insider buy over the past three years. One director sold shares earlier this year following the exercise of a stock option. The last company executive who sold shares did so back in August 2022, selling off 20% of his position.
Overall, Papa John’s insiders own 1.3% of shares.
The pizza chain is down 27% over the past year. Consumers have been cutting back on dining out as prices there have soared higher than overall inflation.
Papa John’s saw revenues slide about 3% last year, faring better than many competitors.
While profit margins are low in the industry, Papa John’s has still managed to beat analyst expectations. As long as the company can continue to maintain its market share, it should see the stock trend higher in time.
Action to take: Shares have fallen to a new 52-week low following earnings, and continue to trend lower. They’re starting to look oversold, so interested investors may want to look in building up a position as shares turn around.
At current prices, Papa John’s also pays a 3.5% dividend.
For traders, the July $50 puts, last trading for about $1.45, could see mid-double-digit returns on a continued decline for shares in the weeks ahead. Traders should look to take profits on any sign that the downtrend is over.
Disclosure: The author of this article has no position in the company mentioned here, but may trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any company mentioned in this article.