Comparable Sales Look Good For Chipotle

Chipotle saw a nice sequential uptick in comparable restaurant sales during the second quarter, with much of the 5.5% increase stemming from ongoing peak-hour traffic throughput efforts as well as greater call-to-action marketing. Entering the quarter, there were concerns that competitive pressures (emergent fast-casual restaurant competition and more aggressive promotional activity from traditional quick-service and casual-dining players) might neutralize some of the throughput and marketing … Continue reading Comparable Sales Look Good For Chipotle

Loans Help Boost 2Q for USB

U.S. Bancorp USB reported net income of attributable to common shareholders of $1.4 billion, or $0.76 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2013 compared with $1.3 billion, or $0.71 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2012. Loans grew 7.4% compared with a year ago, primarily in commercial and residential loans. Low interest rates, primarily in investment securities, continued to pressure yields … Continue reading Loans Help Boost 2Q for USB

GPC Misses Street EPS Estimate

Genuine Parts Company reported earnings per share of $1.17, $0.04 less than the Street consensus but $0.09 better than year-ago EPS. The Street was expecting better performance from Genuine Parts’ office products and electrical wholesale operations. With the automotive group performing well and our expectation that the industrial and electrical/electronic (EIS) groups should improve as the year progresses, plus the accretion from the Exego acquisition, … Continue reading GPC Misses Street EPS Estimate

FWRD 2Q Consolidated Revenue Increased

Forward Air’s FWRD second-quarter consolidated revenue increased 8% but was roughly flat when excluding the addition of TQI, which was acquired in March. The core airport-to-airport business fell 5% from last year, driven by 3% deterioration in total yield and a low-single-digit fall in tonnage. A large portion of the revenue decline relates to a previously announced customer loss ($6 million impact). Forward Air Solutions … Continue reading FWRD 2Q Consolidated Revenue Increased

STO Second Quarter Production Has Modest Rise

Santos’s second-quarter production rose 2% to 12.4 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe), marginally below expectations, and full-year 2013 production guidance has been reduced by 3% to between 52 and 55 mmboe. The decline reflects deferred oil and gas production from Chim Sao in Vietnam due to power system constraints, steeper than- expected natural field decline at Sangu, and deferred Carnarvon production due to poor … Continue reading STO Second Quarter Production Has Modest Rise

Nokia Earnings Show Some Bright Spots

Nokia’s second-quarter earnings report had a couple of bright spots but was mostly concerning as the firm’s mobile phone business continues to languish.  The favorable view of Nokia’s pending acquisition of the remainder of its Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) joint venture is mostly offset by a rapidly deteriorating basic phone market and only modest Windows Lumia phone adoption to date. Nokia sold 7.4 million Lumia … Continue reading Nokia Earnings Show Some Bright Spots