By Connor Hart

Papa John's International said profit and revenue fell in the fourth quarter, hurt by a weak consumer backdrop and higher promotions across its North American business.

The pizza chain on Thursday posted a profit of $8.63 million, or 21 cents a share, down from $15 million, or 44 cents a share, a year earlier.

Stripping out one-time costs, earnings were 34 cents a share. Analysts polled by FactSet expected adjusted earnings of 33 cents a share.

Revenue fell 6.1% to $498.2 million and missed the $517.3 million that Wall Street modeled.

Chief Executive Todd Penegor said strength across international markets carried the company during the recent quarter, while its North American results reflect a weak consumer backdrop and elevated promotional environment.

Papa John's is making progress on its turnaround strategy as it works to reinforce its brand health, sharpen its value proposition, build its innovation pipeline and enhance customer experience, he added.

Looking forward, Papa John's guided for systemwide restaurant sales to be flat to down low single digits this year. Comparable sales, which account for store openings and closings, are projected to be down 2% to 4% in North America, offset by an estimated 2%-to-4% gain across international markets.

Shares fell 3.5% to $32.64 in premarket trading.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 26, 2026 07:45 ET (12:45 GMT)

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