[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (-0.4%), Nasdaq Composite (flat), and DJIA (-0.9%) remain mostly lower shortly after midday.
Shares of Papa John's (PZZA 39.63, +7.09, +21.8%) have spiked higher in recent trade following a Wall Street Journal report that Qatari-backed fund Irth has bid $1.5 billion (roughly $47 per share) for the company.