Profit jumps for these fast-food leaders

Article Excerpt

DOMINO’S PIZZA $175.71 (New York symbol DPZ; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (734-930-3008; www.dominos.com; Shares outstanding: 48.0 million; Market cap: 8.5 billion; Dividend yield: 1.1%) is the world’s largest chain of pizza stores offering takeout and delivery. It operates over 14,000 outlets, in the U.S. and 85 other countries. Franchisees run most of these stores. The company continues to profit from its move in to ordering online and through smartphone apps. Over 60% of all its sales now come from those digital orders, and twothirds of those are from mobile devices. In the three months ended January 1, 2017, Domino’s sales rose 10.6%, to $819.4 million from $741.2 million a year earlier. Same-store sales rose 12.2% in the U.S., the company’s largest market. Internationally, same-store sales rose 4.3%. Revenue increases helped to lift overall earnings: profit rose 15.9%, to $72.7 million from $62.8 million a year earlier. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share jumped 25.4%, to $1.48 from $1.18. Domino’s hikes its dividend by…