Papa John's Q2 Earnings Fall Short Of Expectations - Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA)

Papa John's International Inc PZZA reported second-quarter FY22 sales growth of 1.5% year-on-year to $522.67 million, missing the consensus of $529.63 million.
Adjusted EPS of $0.74 missed the Street view of $0.75.
Total comparable sales growth fell 1.4% versus 9% growth in the prior year. Comparable sales improved 0.9% in North America and fell 8% Internationally.
Total global system-wide restaurant sales growth was 2.6%.
The operating margin was 7.4%, and operating income for the quarter declined 12.8% to $38.9 million.
The company held $52.1 million in cash and equivalents as of June 26, 2022. It generated an operating cash flow of $45.6 million for six months with a free cash flow of $14.8 million.
Papa John's recorded 47 net unit growth in the quarter. As of June 26, 2022, there were 5,571 Papa John's restaurants operating in 49 countries and territories.
The company had $329.8 million remaining available for repurchase under the outstanding authorization as of July 29, 2022.
The company announced a 20% increase in the annual dividend rate to $1.68 per share and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, payable on August 26, 2022, to stockholders of record on August 15, 2022.
Outlook: Papa John's sees FY22 restaurant growth of 280 – 320 units.
Price Action: PZZA shares traded lower by 4.92% at $92.01 on the last check Thursday.