Traditional Fast Food Stocks Q3 Recap: Benchmarking Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO)
Wrapping up Q3 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the traditional fast food stocks, including Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) and its peers.
Traditional fast-food restaurants are renowned for their speed and convenience, boasting menus filled with familiar and budget-friendly items. Their reputations for on-the-go consumption make them favored destinations for individuals and families needing a quick meal. This class of restaurants, however, is fighting the perception that their meals are unhealthy and made with inferior ingredients, a battle that's especially relevant today given the consumers increasing focus on health and wellness.
The 14 traditional fast food stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 6.5% since the latest earnings results.
Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO)
Translating to “Golden Arches” in Spanish, Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) is the master franchisee of the McDonald's brand in Latin America and the Caribbean, responsible for its operations and growth in over 20 countries.
Arcos Dorados reported revenues of $1.13 billion, flat year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ same-store sales estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
Arcos Dorados Total Revenue
The stock is down 10.9% since reporting and currently trades at $7.49.
Started in 1992 by two brothers as a single pushcart, Dutch Bros (NYSE:BROS) is a dynamic coffee chain that’s captured the hearts of coffee enthusiasts across the United States.
Dutch Bros reported revenues of $338.2 million, up 27.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.1%. The business had a stunning quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ same-store sales estimates.
Dutch Bros Total Revenue
Dutch Bros achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 69.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $59.05.
Famous for its Original Glazed doughnuts and parent company of Insomnia Cookies, Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) is one of the most beloved and well-known fast-food chains in the world.
Krispy Kreme reported revenues of $379.9 million, down 6.8% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.
Krispy Kreme delivered the slowest revenue growth and weakest full-year guidance update in the group. As expected, the stock is down 27.7% since the results and currently trades at $8.98.
One of China’s largest restaurant companies, Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) is an independent entity spun off from Yum! Brands in 2016.
Yum China reported revenues of $3.07 billion, up 5.4% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. It was a strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a decent beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $44.87.
With a name that translates into ‘The Crazy Chicken’, El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) is a fast food chain known for its citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken recipe that hails from the coastal town of Sinaloa, Mexico.
El Pollo Loco reported revenues of $120.4 million, flat year on year. This result lagged analysts' expectations by 0.5%. Zooming out, it was actually a strong quarter as it put up an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is down 6% since reporting and currently trades at $11.46.
Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market has thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% each in November and December), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by the pace and magnitude of future rate cuts as well as potential changes in trade policy and corporate taxes once the Trump administration takes over. The path forward is marked by uncertainty.
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