News Details

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 2014-- Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) today reported earnings from continuing operations of $26.1 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, for the third quarter ended July 6, 2014, compared with earnings from continuing operations of $17.3 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2013.

Operating earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure which the company defines as diluted earnings per share from continuing operations on a GAAP basis excluding restructuring charges and gains or losses from refranchising, were $0.65 in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 compared with $0.41 in the prior year quarter.

A reconciliation of non-GAAP measurements to GAAP results is provided below, with additional information included in the attachment to this release. Figures may not add due to rounding.

Lenny Comma, chairman and chief executive officer, said, “Third quarter operating earnings per share increased 59 percent, driven by another quarter of better than expected same-store sales growth at Qdoba Mexican Grill^®, solid same-store sales growth at Jack in the Box^®, margin expansion, lower overhead, and a nearly 10 percent reduction in our diluted share count as we continued to use our growing free cash flow to return cash to shareholders.”

Increase (decrease) in same-store sales:

“Jack in the Box company same-store sales increased 2.4 percent for the quarter, in line with our expectations,” Comma said. “The increase was driven primarily by growth in our breakfast and late-night dayparts.”

Jack in the Box system same-store sales growth for the quarter exceeded that of the QSR sandwich segment by 2.4 percentage points for the comparable period, according to The NPD Group’s SalesTrack® Weekly for the 12-week time period ended July 6, 2014. Included in this segment are 16 of the top QSR sandwich and burger chains in the country.

“Qdoba’s same-store sales in the third quarter increased 7.2 percent for company restaurants and 7.5 percent system-wide, our second consecutive quarter of growth in the 7 percent range. The top-line momentum continued with the Mango Mojo campaign, which followed our very successful Queso Bliss event in the prior quarter. In addition, the performance of our Qdoba company restaurants reflected less discounting, as well as double-digit growth in catering sales,” Comma concluded.

Consolidated restaurant operating margin increased by 120 basis points to 19.1 percent of sales in the third quarter of 2014, compared with 17.9 percent of sales in the year-ago quarter. Restaurant operating margin for Jack in the Box restaurants increased 150 basis points to 18.4 percent of sales. The improvement was due primarily to lower food and packaging costs and the benefit of refranchising, which were partially offset by higher utility costs. The decrease in food and packaging costs as a percentage of sales resulted from the benefit of price increases and favorable product mix changes, which were partially offset by commodity inflation of approximately 2.6 percent in the quarter. Restaurant operating margin for Qdoba restaurants was 20.6 percent of sales, equal to the prior year. The benefits of sales leverage and less discounting at Qdoba were offset by commodity inflation of approximately 2.6 percent, and higher incentive compensation for restaurant managers, utilities, maintenance and repairs, credit card fees and beverage equipment rental costs.

SG&A expense for the third quarter decreased by $4.7 million and was 13.6 percent of revenues as compared to 14.9 percent in the prior year quarter. The decrease reflects a $4.0 million reduction in pension expense and a $1.0 million decrease in advertising costs resulting from the Jack in the Box refranchising strategy. In addition, mark-to-market adjustments on investments supporting the company’s non-qualified retirement plans positively impacted SG&A by $2.8 million in the third quarter of 2014 as compared to a negative impact of $0.2 million in the third quarter of 2013, resulting in a year-over-year decrease in SG&A of $3.0 million. These decreases were partially offset by a $1.6 million increase in incentive and share-based compensation and a $1.1 million increase in advertising costs at Qdoba due to the timing of marketing activities.

The company is continuing its efforts to improve its cost structure and identify opportunities to reduce G&A as well as improve restaurant profitability across both brands. Total restructuring charges recorded during the third quarter of 2014 were $0.6 million relating primarily to severance costs, or approximately $0.01 per diluted share, as compared to $0.1 million during the third quarter of 2013. These charges are included in “Impairment and other charges, net” in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Gains on the sale of company-operated restaurants during the third quarter of fiscal 2014 include additional proceeds received as a result of the extension of underlying franchise and lease agreements for previously refranchised Jack in the Box restaurants of $0.3 million which were offset by a loss of $0.3 million related to the expected sale of one Jack in the Box market in the Southeast for which the company has received a signed letter of intent. This compares to a loss of $1.5 million, or approximately $0.02 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter.

In the third quarter of 2013, following the completion of the company’s previously disclosed review of market performance for its Qdoba brand, 62 company-operated Qdoba restaurants were closed, and the results of operations, impairment charges, lease obligations and other exit costs for these restaurants are included in discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented. Discontinued operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 include after-tax charges related to the Qdoba restaurant closures of approximately $0.03 per diluted share, as compared to $0.50 per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2013. In addition, discontinued operations for both quarters included approximately $0.01 per diluted share related to the outsourcing of the company’s distribution business which was completed in fiscal 2013.

Capital Allocation

The company repurchased approximately 1,270,000 shares of its common stock in the third quarter of 2014 at an average price of $59.04 per share for an aggregate cost of $75.0 million. Year-to-date through the third quarter, the company repurchased approximately 4,948,000 shares at an average price of $55.98 per share, for an aggregate cost of $277.0 million. This leaves $59.7 million remaining under a $200 million stock-buyback program authorized by the company’s Board of Directors in February 2014 that expires in November 2015. In July 2014, the company’s Board of Directors authorized an additional $100 million stock-buyback program that also expires in November 2015.

The company also announced today that on July 31, 2014, its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share on the company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on September 2, 2014, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 18, 2014.

Guidance

The following guidance and underlying assumptions reflect the company’s current expectations for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ending September 28, 2014. Fiscal 2014 is a 52-week year, with 16 weeks in the first quarter, and 12 weeks in each of the second, third and fourth quarters.

Fourth quarter fiscal year 2014 guidance

• Same-store sales are expected to increase approximately 1.5 to 2.5 percent at Jack in the Box company restaurants versus a 0.2 percent decrease in the year-ago quarter.
• Same-store sales are expected to increase approximately 5.0 to 6.0 percent at Qdoba company restaurants versus a 1.3 percent increase in the year-ago quarter.

Fiscal year 2014 guidance

• Same-store sales are expected to increase approximately 1.5 to 2.0 percent at Jack in the Box company restaurants.
• Same-store sales are now expected to increase approximately 5.0 to 5.5 percent at Qdoba company restaurants.
• Overall commodity costs are expected to increase by approximately 1.5 to 2.0 percent for the full year.
• Restaurant operating margin for the full year, which reflects an approximate 20 basis points impact from the July 2014 minimum wage increase in California, is expected to be approximately 18.0 to 18.5 percent, depending on same-store sales and commodity inflation.
• SG&A as a percentage of revenue is expected to be approximately 13.5 to 14.0 percent as compared to 14.8 percent in fiscal 2013. G&A as a percentage of system-wide sales is expected to decline to approximately 3.8 percent in fiscal 2014 from 4.3 percent in fiscal 2013.
• Impairment and other charges as a percentage of revenue are expected to be approximately 60 basis points, excluding restructuring charges.
• Approximately 15 new Jack in the Box restaurants are expected to open system-wide.
• Approximately 40 to 45 new Qdoba restaurants are expected to open, of which approximately 15 to 17 are expected to be company locations.

• Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $70 million.
• The tax rate is expected to be approximately 35.5 to 36.5 percent.
• Operating earnings per share, which the company defines as diluted earnings per share from continuing operations on a GAAP basis excluding restructuring charges and gains or losses from refranchising, are now expected to range from $2.38 to $2.45 in fiscal 2014 as compared to operating earnings per share of $1.82 in fiscal 2013.

Conference call

The company will host a conference call for financial analysts and investors on Thursday, August 7, 2014, beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. ET). The conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet via the Jack in the Box Inc. corporate website. To access the live call through the Internet, log onto the Investors section of the Jack in the Box Inc. website at http://investors.jackinthebox.com at least 15 minutes prior to the event in order to download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the call will be available through the Jack in the Box Inc. corporate website for 21 days, beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. PT on August 7.

About Jack in the Box Inc.

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), based in San Diego, is a restaurant company that operates and franchises Jack in the Box^® restaurants, one of the nation’s largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,250 restaurants in 21 states. Additionally, through a wholly owned subsidiary, the company operates and franchises Qdoba Mexican Grill^®, a leader in fast-casual dining, with more than 600 restaurants in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. For more information on Jack in the Box and Qdoba, including franchising opportunities, visit www.jackinthebox.com or www.qdoba.com.

Safe harbor statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including the following: the success of new products and marketing initiatives; the impact of competition, unemployment, trends in consumer spending patterns and commodity costs; the company’s ability to achieve and manage its planned growth, which is affected by the availability of a sufficient number of suitable new restaurant sites, the performance of new restaurants, and risks relating to expansion into new markets; and stock market volatility. These and other factors are discussed in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K and its periodic reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are available online at http://investors.jackinthebox.com or in hard copy upon request. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as the result of new information or otherwise.

JACK IN THE BOX INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASUREMENTS TO GAAP RESULTS
(Unaudited)

Operating earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure, is defined by the company as diluted earnings per share from continuing operations on a GAAP basis excluding restructuring charges and gains or losses from refranchising. Management believes this non-GAAP financial measure provides important supplemental information to assist investors in analyzing the performance of the company’s core business. In addition, the company uses operating earnings per share in establishing performance goals for purposes of executive compensation. The company encourages investors to rely upon its GAAP numbers but includes this non-GAAP financial measure as a supplemental metric to assist investors. This non-GAAP financial measure should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. In addition, this non-GAAP financial measure used by the company may be calculated differently from, and therefore may not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Below is a reconciliation of non-GAAP operating earnings per share to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, diluted earnings per share from continuing operations. Figures may not add due to rounding.

Source: Jack in the Box Inc.

Jack in the Box Inc.
Investor Contact:
Carol DiRaimo, (858) 571-2407
or
Media Contact:
Brian Luscomb, (858) 571-2291