Papa John’s reports Q4 EPS 91c, consensus 72c

Reports Q4 revenue $571.3M, consensus $577.86M. Reports North America comparable sales(a) were up 2% compared with the fourth quarter of 2022 as transaction and ticket growth delivered 2% comparable sales at both Domestic Company-owned restaurants and North America franchised restaurants; International comparable sales(a) were down 6%. 89 net unit openings driven by 36 North America and 53 International net unit openings. Global system-wide restaurant sales were $1.34 billion, an 11%(b) increase from the prior year fourth quarter. Excluding the 53rd week in 2023, global system-wide sales were up approximately 2%(b). Papa Johns finished 2023 with a solid fourth quarter and achieved record system-wide sales for the year, marking this as our fourth consecutive year of positive North America comparable restaurant sales,” said Rob Lynch, Papa Johns President and CEO. “More importantly, we made significant progress in several key operational areas during the year. We improved our Domestic company-owned restaurant-level margins, grew our global footprint and enhanced our digital solutions and marketing platforms. These efforts have strengthened Papa Johns and laid the foundation for our next phase of growth.” Lynch continued, “We are also making progress on our International transformation initiatives, which include optimizing our UK business model. We continue to see sequential improvement in our UK sales, with UK franchisees reporting their second consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales in the fourth quarter. We are building on the progress in this important market as we continue to take strategic actions that will drive improved profitability and further strengthen our franchisee base.” “Looking ahead, we are excited about the long-term future of Papa Johns as we embark on our Back to Better 2.0 growth initiatives and focus on accelerating our North America development. While we recognize the dynamic global environment may present challenges in the near term, we will maintain flexibility as we focus on advancing our strategic initiatives. We remain confident in our business model, our long-term strategy, the strength of our brand, loyalty of our customer base and our ability to deliver value for all stakeholders,” concluded Lynch.