Here’s Our Pick Of The Month December 2007

Article Excerpt

TIM HORTONS $37.38 (Toronto symbol THI; SI Rating: Average) (905-845-6511; www.timshortons.com; Shares outstanding: 187.9 million; Market cap: $7.0 billion) operates 2,758 coffee-and-donut shops in Canada, and 352 in the United States. Franchisees operate 97.7% of its stores. Tim Hortons’ revenues rose 18.6% in the three months ended September 30, 2007, to $490.5 million from $413.6 million. The increase was due to the opening of 40 new restaurants, successful new menu items and higher selling prices. Same-store sales rose 7.5% in Canada, and 4.5% in the United States. Earnings per share rose 33.3%, to $0.36 from $0.27. The company continued to introduce successful new products in the latest quarter to boost sales. At Canadian stores, this included the popular Breakfast Sandwich, Lemon Crinkle Donuts, 12-Grain Bagel with Omega 3, Fruit Bites and Apple Toffee Danish. In the United States, the new offerings included iced coffee, the Lemon Crinkle Donut, the Apple Toffee Danish, large gourmet cookies and chocolate baked goods. The company is…