PZZA News & Events

Papa Johns (PZZA) announced the launch of four Papa Johns Pizza Planet experiences as part of their global collaboration for Disney (DIS) and Pixar's upcoming June 19 theatrical release, Toy Story 5. Inspired by the sci-fi pizzeria first introduced in Toy Story in 1995, the activations bring the location off the big screen and into the real world. Opening on select dates throughout June across major cities, each Papa Johns Pizza Planet pop-up will "fully transport fans into the Toy Story universe," the company said.

S&P 500 notched new record highs with its first close above 7,500 while Dow Industrials reclaimed the 50,000 level as Tech driven rally continued on Thursday.  The sector was by far the best performing area of the market, with positive sentiment rooted in blowout earnings overnight from Ciscoas well as fresh record highs from Nvidia.  The chipmaker was up over 4%, supported by reports that US cleared H200 chip sales to 10 China firms in a gesture of goodwill during President Trump's visit to Beijing.In the evening session, equity futures are little changed despite more good news for the Tech afterhours in the way of strong Q2 results and constructive commentary regarding the global build-out of AI computing infrastructure from Applied Materials.  In commodities, WTI Crude Oil is down for the 3rd straight session with a retreat below $98 per barrel as traders reacted to US pressure on China to persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.  Base metals rally over the first half of May is also stalling - Copper retreated below $6.60 per lb and Silver is down for the 3rd straight day below $85 per ounce.Check out this evening's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.HIGHER AFTER EARNINGS -Gemini Space Stationup 16.5%Figmaup 11.2%Boot Barnup 7.3%York Space Systemsup 6.3%Globant S.A.up 4.8%Celcuityup 2.2%Applied Materialsup 1.4%ALSO HIGHER -Papa John'sup 8.4% after Reuters report franchisee, Irth in buyout offer for chainDexComup 5.5% after announcing collaborating with Elliott Management on two new Board membersDOWN AFTER EARNINGS -United States Antimonydown 6.5%Nu Holdingsdown 6.0%Rumbledown 4.7%DLocal Limiteddown 4.0%

Stephens keeps an Overweight rating and a $40 price target on Papa John's following today's Reuters report that Papa John's largest franchisee has joined Irth Capital's latest bid to acquire the company. The news is another chapter in the Papa John's acquisition saga, which has helped support the multiple despite ongoing traffic, comp, and repositioning pressure, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Near-term sentiment likely stays constrained given the traffic reset and planned menu simplification headwinds, but the firm remains constructive on the longer recovery arc as refranchising, supply chain savings, and a leaner cost structure create a credible path to margin recovery, the firm added.