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Wrapping up Q3 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the traditional fast food stocks, including El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ:LOCO) 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 13 traditional fast food stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.
Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 8.2% on average since the latest earnings results.
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 $121.5 million, flat year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 2%, but it was still a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but a miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.
Liz Williams, Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, “Our third quarter results demonstrated the progress we are making across all aspects of our business. While our comparable store sales experienced a small decline, we are particularly pleased with our positive traffic growth during the quarter as we implemented targeted value and innovations that not only drove restaurant visits but also enhanced our brand equity. Our ongoing focus on operational excellence allowed us to deliver margin expansion at both the restaurant and corporate level. Our unit growth momentum continued with the opening of our 500th El Pollo Loco restaurant, and as we are building a pipeline that will almost double unit openings next year. As we look ahead, we remain laser-focused on executing against our five strategic pillars and continuing on our path of being the nation’s favorite fire-grilled chicken restaurant.”
Interestingly, the stock is up 18.6% since reporting and currently trades at $10.73.
Is now the time to buy El Pollo Loco? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.
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 $423.6 million, up 25.2% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ same-store sales estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.
Dutch Bros delivered the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 14% since reporting. It currently trades at $64.07.
Is now the time to buy Dutch Bros? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.
Founded by the eclectic John “Papa John” Schnatter, Papa John’s (NASDAQ:PZZA) is a globally recognized pizza delivery and carryout chain known for “better ingredients” and “better pizza”.
Papa John's reported revenues of $508.2 million, flat year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.
As expected, the stock is down 4.7% since the results and currently trades at $39.30.
Read our full analysis of Papa John’s results here.
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 $375.3 million, down 1.2% year on year. This print came in 0.8% below analysts' expectations. Zooming out, it was actually a very strong quarter as it put up a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
The stock is up 12.6% since reporting and currently trades at $4.24.
Read our full, actionable report on Krispy Kreme here, it’s free for active Edge members.
Founded by Dave Thomas in 1969, Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) is a renowned fast-food chain known for its fresh, never-frozen beef burgers, flavorful menu options, and commitment to quality.
Wendy's reported revenues of $549.5 million, down 3% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. It was an exceptional quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.
Wendy's scored the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The stock is down 6.2% since reporting and currently trades at $8.28.
Read our full, actionable report on Wendy's here, it’s free for active Edge members.
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 thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), 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 potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.
Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.
StockStory’s analyst team — all seasoned professional investors — uses quantitative analysis and automation to deliver market-beating insights faster and with higher quality.
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