Papa John’s International Inc. shares rose 4.2% in Thursday premarket trading after the pizza delivery company reported first-quarter earnings and revenue that beat expectations. Net income totaled $27.1 million, or 82 cents per share, up from $8.4 million, or 15 cents per share, last year. Adjusted EPS of 90 cents beat the FactSet consensus for 56 cents. Revenue of $511.7 million was up from $409.9 million last year and ahead of the FactSet consensus for $470.0 million. Comparable sales in North America grew 26.2% and were up 23.2% on an international basis. Papa John’s attributed the growth to the new Epic Stuffed Crust pizza in North America and the company’s expanding customer base. The FactSet consensus was for domestic comparable sales growth of 14.9% and international growth of 17.4%. Papa John’s stock has gained 10.8% for the year to date while the S&P 500 index is up 11% for the period.
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