Papa John's earnings beat expectations, dividend raised
Papa John's International Inc. reported second-quarter net loss of $79.9 million, or $2.30 per share, after net income of $15.7 million, or 48 cents per share, last year. Adjusted EPS of 93 cents beat the FactSet consensus for 74 cents. Revenue of $515.0 million was up from $460.6 million and also ahead of the FactSet consensus for $494.0 million. Comparable sales rose 5.2% in North America and were up 21.2% internationally. The FactSet consensus was for a 1% rise domestically and 18.4% growth around the world. Papa John's announced a 55.6% increase in the annual dividend to $1.40 from 90 cents. For the third quarter, the company has declared a 35-cent dividend to be paid on August 27 to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 16. Papa John's also announced an expanded partnership with Drake Food Service International that will result in 220 additional Papa John's restaurants by 2025, including more than 170 across Latin America, Spain and Portugal where Drake operates more than 280 restaurants and 50 in the U.K. In total Drake will run 560 Papa John's locations. In September 2020, Papa John's announced a new London headquarters. Papa John's stock has gained 35.7% for the year to date while the S&P 500 index is up 17.2% for the period.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.