Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: I appreciate your work and the information your service provides. Your thoughts about Noodles & Company, please. Thanks very much.

Article Excerpt

Noodles & Company, $35.79, symbol NDLS on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 28.2 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; www.noodles.com), operates fast-casual restaurants in the U.S. Its Noodles & Company chain offers made-to-order dishes, including noodles and pasta, soups, salads, sandwiches and appetizers. Colorado-based Noodles & Company operates 380 restaurants, including 318 company-owned and 62 franchised locations, across 29 states and the District of Columbia. It was founded in 1995. In the three months ended December 31, 2013, the company’s revenue rose 17.4%, to $91.5 million from $77.9 million a year earlier. Same-restaurant sales rose 4.3%. Earnings per share jumped 57.1%, to $0.11 from $0.07. Noodles & Company plans to open 42 to 50 company-owned restaurants this year, while its franchisees expect to open 10 to 15. The firm first sold shares to the public at $18 and began trading in June 2013. Noodles & Company’s dishes focus on natural ingredients. Menu items include pad Thai, Indonesian Peanut Sauté, Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine and Wisconsin Mac &..