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Papa John's International

PZZA
30
Restaurants · Consumer Cyclical
Price
$23.94
+0.62 (+2.66%)
Market Cap
$787.7M
Exchange
NASDAQ
Winston Score
30
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 28, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Weak
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Weak
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Good

Share count falling — buybacks

6.8% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 35.3M (2021) → 32.9M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Papa John's International is a pizza chain that makes and sells pizzas, sides, and drinks. It operates through both company-owned restaurants and a large network of franchised locations, serving everyday consumers who order online, through its app, or by phone. It is one of the largest pizza delivery chains in the world, competing directly with Domino's and Pizza Hut.

Most of Papa John's revenue comes from selling ingredients and supplies to its franchisees, collecting royalty fees, and running its own restaurants. The company operates in over 50 countries, though the United States remains its largest market. Its franchise model keeps costs relatively low, but it also means Papa John's depends heavily on franchisee health and performance. The main growth opportunity is international expansion, while the biggest risk is intense competition in the pizza delivery space, where rivals have stronger digital ordering systems and larger store counts.

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Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
29.7%
Modest — 29.7% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
4.8%
Thin — 4.8% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
7.5%
Weak — 7.5% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
-5.6%
Shrinking sales (-5.6% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-64.6%
Earnings shrinking (-64.6% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
1/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
345%
Turns 345% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
1.7%
Thin free cash flow (1.7%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
1.00x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.0x)

Interest coverage below 1. Their profits don't cover the interest bill.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
29.6x
Growth-priced — P/E 29.6

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+12.4
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (29.6 → 17.1)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
7.58%
Healthy income — 7.58% yield

Yield above 6% — often a flag the market is pricing in a cut.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+0.0%
Dividend flat

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