Brinker International Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 EPS
Brinker reported revenues for the 13-week period of $781.9 million, a decrease of 17.6 percent compared with $949.4 million reported for the same period of fiscal 2009.
Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) announced second quarter fiscal 2010 earnings per diluted share of $0.29 compared to $0.27 for the second quarter of fiscal 2009, before special items and excluding Romano’s Macaroni Grill(R) (reconciliation included in Table 2). On a GAAP basis, earnings per diluted share increased to $0.18 from a loss per diluted share of $0.21 for the second quarter in the prior year.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2009, the company completed the sale of Macaroni Grill while retaining a minority ownership interest. The information presented below includes Macaroni Grill unless otherwise noted.
Quarterly Revenues
Brinker reported revenues for the 13-week period of $781.9 million, a decrease of 17.6 percent compared with $949.4 million reported for the same period of fiscal 2009. The company experienced a 3.1 percent decrease in comparable restaurant sales (see Table 1) in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Revenues were also negatively impacted by a net decline in capacity of 17.7 percent due to the sale of 189 Macaroni Grill restaurants at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2009. The decline in capacity was also due to 47 restaurant closures and the sale of 21 restaurants to a franchisee since the second quarter of fiscal 2009. Royalty and franchise revenues were $17.3 million for the quarter.
Table 1: Q2 comparable restaurant sales
Q2 10 and Q2 09, company and three reported brands; percentage
Q2 09
Q2 10
Comparable
Sales (2) Comparable
---------- Sales
-----
Brinker International (1) (3.1) (4.5)
Chili's (3.2) (4.2)
On The Border (4.7) (3.7)
Maggiano's (1.6) (6.9)
Q2 10 Q2 10
Pricing Mix-Shift
Impact ---------
------
Brinker International (1) 1.2 (1.7)
Chili's 1.2 (1.3)
On The Border 2.3 (4.3)
Maggiano's 0.5 (2.2)
(1) Brinker International comparable restaurant sales exclude the
impact of Macaroni Grill.
(2) Brinker International comparable restaurant sales by period are
provided on the company's web site.
Quarterly Operating Performance
Cost of sales, as a percent of revenues, increased from 28.2 percent in the prior year to 28.9 percent in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. During the quarter, cost of sales was negatively impacted by recent promotions and unfavorable commodity prices primarily related to chicken, produce and dairy, partially offset by favorable menu price changes.
Restaurant expenses, as a percent of revenues, decreased to 56.0 percent from 58.0 percent in the prior year primarily due to reduced labor costs, utility expenses and the receipt of a $3.3 million credit card class action lawsuit settlement.
Depreciation and amortization decreased $2.4 million compared to the prior year due to fully depreciated assets and restaurant closures, partially offset by investments in existing restaurants.
General and administrative expense decreased $6.0 million for the quarter primarily due to reduced salary and training expenses as well as income related to transitional services provided to Macaroni Grill.
Other gains and charges primarily includes long-lived asset impairments of $21.4 million related to the closure and impairment of certain underperforming restaurants, partially offset by a $2.8 million gain on the sale of 21 restaurants to a franchisee.
Interest expense decreased $3.7 million due to lower interest rates and lower average borrowings.
The effective income tax rate increased to a provision of 19.6 percent in the current quarter as compared to a benefit of 51.1 percent due to the loss on the sale of Macaroni Grill and long-lived asset impairment charges in the prior year. The effective income tax rate before special items and excluding Macaroni Grill increased to 27.6 percent as compared to 22.4 percent in the second quarter of fiscal 2009, primarily due to increased income and lower tax credits.
Special Items
-------------
Table 2: Reconciliation of net income, before special items (1)
Q2 10 and Q2 09; $ millions and $ per diluted share after-tax
Item EPS
Q2 10 Q2 10
Net Income (Loss) $18.3 $0.18
Other (Gains) and Charges 11.8 0.11
---- ----
Net Income before Special Items 30.1 0.29
Macaroni Grill before Special
Items - -
--- ---
Adjusted Net Income before Special
Items and Macaroni Grill $30.1 $0.29
===== =====
Item EPS
Q2 09
Q2 09
Net Income (Loss) $(21.8) $(0.21)
Other (Gains) and Charges 53.5 0.52
---- ----
Net Income before Special Items 31.7 0.31
Macaroni Grill before Special
Items (3.8) (0.04)
---- -----
Adjusted Net Income before Special
Items and Macaroni Grill $27.9 $0.27
===== =====
(1) The company believes excluding other gains and charges and
Macaroni Grill from its financial results provides investors with a
clearer perspective of the company's ongoing operating performance
and a more relevant comparison to prior period results.
Cash Flow and Capital Allocation
Cash flow from operations for the first six months of fiscal 2010 increased to $156.3 million compared to $94.8 million in the prior year. Capital expenditures totaled $25.0 million, a reduction of $34.6 million compared to the prior year resulting from a decrease in new company-owned restaurant development. Due to strong cash flows, the company made payments of $140.0 million on the outstanding term loan during the quarter which reduced the balance to $250.0 million.