For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – July 21, 2021 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Dine Brands Global, Inc.
DIN
, Papa John’s International, Inc.
PZZA
, Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc.
RUTH
, The Cheesecake Factory Inc.
CAKE
and The Wendy’s Company
WEN
.
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:
Restaurant Sales Bouncing Back to Pre-Pandemic Highs: 5 Stocks to Buy
Restaurants and bars, which had taken a bad hit last year, are fast bouncing back to normal and driving overall retail sales. While retail sales have been on the decline over the past couple of months and recorded a marginal increase in June, sales at bars and restaurants are fast picking up.
In fact, sales are now higher than the pre-pandemic level highs and as the economy reopens further, the industry is expected to flourish.
Restaurant Sales Continue to Grow
Sales at restaurants and bars grew in June with consumers spending 2.3% higher in receipts, the Commerce Department said on Jul 16. On a year-over-year basis, sales at restaurants and bars surged a whopping 40.2% in June.
Compared to that, overall retail sales grew just 0.6% in June. Understandably, restaurants are again getting busy and attracting a higher footfall as more people are getting vaccinated and stepping out.
Last year, the service industry took a bad hit due to the pandemic, which saw people spending more on electronic and essential goods.
This is evident from slowing retail sales but rising spending at restaurants and bars. Restaurants and bars are the only services category that is reported as part of overall retail sales.
Also, a number of restaurants are reporting a surge in sales this quarter. Pepsi recently reported its fastest sales growth in a decade, as it benefited from consumers who are aggressively returning to restaurants, bars and stadiums after a one-year lull.
Restaurant Sales Poised to Grow
Sales at bars and restaurants have been on the rise since the beginning of the year, when the vaccination drive started gathering steam. So far, more than 160 million people have been vaccinated across the United States. This has seen the government easing restrictions and more people gathering confidence to step out of their homes.
Also, traveling is on the rise once again and people are planning holidays. Thus, restaurant sales are likely to get a further boost in the coming months.
Besides, the new round of stimulus checks as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief aid has given people more spending power. According to a
Restaurant Business Online
article, citing a report by the National Restaurant Association, U.S. restaurant sales are fast bouncing back to normal after declining 19.2% in 2020, which was also the most challenging year for the industry.
Our Choices
Given the situation, it makes good sense to invest in restaurant stocks. We have handpicked stocks of five restaurant players, each carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Dine Brands
is a full-service dining company. It operates and franchises restaurants under both the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP brands.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.2% over the past 60 days. The company sports a Zacks Rank #1.
Papa John’s
operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants in the United States and other specific international markets. Its dine-in and delivery restaurants operate under the brand name Papa John’s.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 5.6% over the past 60 days. Papa John’s carries a Zacks Rank #1.
Ruth’s Hospitality
is the largest fine-dining steakhouse company in the United States as measured by the total number of company-owned and franchisee-owned restaurants, with over 150 Ruth’s Chris Steak House locations worldwide.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 18.9% over the past 60 days. The company has a Zacks Rank #1.
The Cheesecake Factory
operates 298 restaurants throughout the United States and Canada under brands, including The Cheesecake Factory and North Italia, and a collection within the Fox Restaurant Concepts subsidiary.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 5.6% over the past 60 days. The company carries a Zacks Rank #1.
The Wendy’s Co.
operates through its subsidiary holding company — Wendy’s Restaurants, LLC. The fast-food chain through its subsidiary operates as a franchisor of the Wendy’s restaurant system.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 29.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 7.2% over the past 60 days. The Wendy’s Company carries a Zacks Rank #2.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss
.
This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit
https://www.zacks.com/performance
for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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