DPZ The Night King Commands Us to Update Our Forecasts Ahead of the Q1 Release

By Mark Kalinowski Published on April 15, 2019 at 12:00 AM

Ahead of Domino’s (DPZ; Buy) first quarter earnings release scheduled for before the market open on Wednesday, April 24th, we raise our Q1 U.S. (blended) samestore sales forecast by +160 basis points, to +4.5%. Based on our checks, we believe that Domino’s latest ad campaign — centered around “Points for Pies” — has been successful. Consumers apparently have responded well to the aspect of this that points can be earned from “eating any pizza you love, from anywhere. Yep, even if it’s not Domino’s.” Of course, many of the things that Domino’s has done well for years — an improved core product, technological excellence, the “Piece of the Pie Rewards” loyalty program, etc. — are all playing an integrated role in what appears to have been another successful quarter for the brand.

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PZZA (Post-Call) Delivers Better-than-Feared 2019 Targets

By Mark Kalinowski Published on February 26, 2019 at 12:00 AM

After today’s market close, Papa John’s (PZZA; Neutral) reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $0.15, above our $0.12 forecast, and sell-side consensus (according to Consensus Metrix) of $0.15. The Q4 North American same-store sales decline of -8.1% had been previously announced.

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Restaurants The Set-Up into the Print re CAKE, WEN, DIN, DPZ, and PZZA

By Mark Kalinowski Published on February 14, 2019 at 12:00 AM

A number of restaurant companies are scheduled to report quarterly earnings over the February 20-26 time frame, including The Cheesecake Factory (CAKE; Neutral), Wendy’s (WEN; Neutral), Dine Brands (DIN; Buy), Domino’s (DPZ; Buy), and Papa John’s (PZZA; Neutral). In this report, we look at the set-up into the print for each of these five companies:

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