Departure should lift Papa John’s

Article Excerpt

PAPA JOHN’S INTERNATIONAL INC. $47 (New York symbol PZZA; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 31.8 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 1.8%; Takeover Target Rating: Highest; www.papajohns.com) is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company behind Domino’s Pizza (New York symbol DPZ) and Pizza Hut, part of Yum Brands Inc. (New York symbol YUM). Papa John’s has struggled over the last couple years, partly due to remarks by founder John Schnatter. He blamed poor sales on the NFL’s handling of player protests during playing of the U.S. national anthem. In July 2018, Schnatter used a racial slur on a company marketing call. As a result, he resigned as the company’s chairman and CEO. On April 30, 2019, he stepped down as a director. Schnatter now plans to sell his 31% stake in Papa John’s. It’s possible that activist investor Starboard Value may be a buyer. It recently purchased $252.5 million of convertible preferred shares. If those shares are converted, it would own roughly 16% of the…