Loyal customers keep their sales growing

Article Excerpt

DOMINO’S PIZZA $61.50 (New York symbol DPZ; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (734-930-3030; www.dominos.com; Shares outstanding: 55.7 million; Market cap: $3.5 billion; Dividend yield: 1.3%) is the world’s largest chain of pizza stores that offer takeout and delivery. It operates 10,440 outlets in the U.S. and over 70 other countries. Franchisees run most of these stores. The company’s earnings per share rose 21.3% in the quarter ended June 16, 2013, to $0.57 from $0.47 a year earlier. The latest figure beat the consensus estimate of $0.56. Sales gained 10.0%, to $414.0 million from $376.1 million. That also exceeded the consensus estimate of $405.1 million. Same-store sales rose 5.8% internationally and 6.7% in the U.S. Domino’s continues to boost its sales by aggressively promoting its new pizza recipes. It’s also profiting by moving into ordering online and through software applications, or apps, on smartphones. In addition, it still has lots of growth potential overseas. The company’s long-term debt is still high, at $1.5…