Papa John’s Makes “Poison” to Ward Off Former CEO
Papa John’s Pizza does not want its founder to get the ‘controlling’ slice. So, it has prepared the “poison pill”.
John Schnatter resigned as the firm’s chairman this year after admitting to using a racial slur in a conference call. But he now accuses the board of inadequate investigation into the matter, which he claims to have resulted in his forced resignation based on “rumor and innuendo”.
Schnatter is still on the Papa John’s board, and owns 30% stake in the firm alongwith and his associates. His attorney has said that any attempt to remove Schnatter from the board without a "proper vote of the shareholders will be null and void."
But the board is not willing to give up without a fight. It is ready with what’s touted as a “poison pill” – a strategy which is designed to prevent anyone from acquiring a controlling stake through the purchase of common shares of the firm, if not approved by the board. It intends to implement the pill if Schnatter and his associates increase their stake to 31% or anyone tries to buy 15% stake through the open market if the company does not approve. In these events, existing shareholders would be allowed to buy up shares at a discount, thereby diluting the stakes of Schatter or others. Papa John’s poison pill plan is scheduled to last one year.
Contributor
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
PZZA in -4.95% downward trend, declining for three consecutive days on September 11, 2026
Moving lower for three straight days is viewed as a bearish sign. Keep an eye on this stock for future declines. Considering data from situations where PZZA declined for three days, in 272 of 342 cases, the price declined further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 80%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on September 01, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on PZZA as a result. In 61 of 78 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 78%.
The Aroon Indicator for PZZA entered a downward trend on September 14, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
Bullish Trend Analysis
The RSI Indicator points to a transition from a downward trend to an upward trend -- in cases where PZZA's RSI Oscillator exited the oversold zone, 38 of 47 resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are 81%.
The Stochastic Oscillator shows that the ticker has stayed in the oversold zone for 7 days. The price of this ticker is presumed to bounce back soon, since the longer the ticker stays in the oversold zone, the more promptly an upward trend is expected.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for PZZA just turned positive on August 24, 2026. Looking at past instances where PZZA's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 32 of 48 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 67%.
Following a +0.93% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where PZZA advanced for three days, in 179 of 273 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 66%.
PZZA may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 1 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is seriously undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (0.000) is normal, around the industry mean (5.591). P/E Ratio (27.275) is within average values for comparable stocks, (39.838). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (2.502) is also within normal values, averaging (1.661). PZZA's Dividend Yield (0.084) is considerably higher than the industry average of (0.028). P/S Ratio (0.366) is also within normal values, averaging (2.741).
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 6 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 21 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 87 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating slightly worse than average price growth. PZZA’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 100 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. PZZA’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 85, placing this stock worse than average.
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General Information
an operator of pizza delivery and restaurants
Industry Restaurants
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