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Recession-Resistant Restaurant Stocks

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:46:00 GMT

The engine of the great American Economy is, and always will be, the consumer. You and your neighbors and all of your buying power will determine how well the market performs. Right now, it seems as though everyone is hurting — so it’s the right time to capitalize on the pain with solid small-cap plays. It all begins with the struggling consumer: your neighbor. His home is worth 20% less than it was just a couple of years ago and he’s upside down on his mortgage. He was laid off from a good job back in November when everyone started to fear the worst—and was forced to take a job that pays much less. During better times, your neighbor would pay lip service to the idea of saving money — without actually following through, of course… But the situation has now become far more serious. It’s time to save some dough and pay those bills on time… or risk losing it all. But where to cut back? Here is a list of the average[More...]

Restaurant Margin Relief Underway

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:18:00 GMT

Waistlines won't be the only thing expanding at restaurants as commodity prices decline. As expected, recent labor department releases show food costs declining, while restaurant prices continue to rise, suggesting restaurant operators should enjoy margin expansion in 2009. The Labor Department's December Producer Price Index (PPI) indicated a reversal in the rise in finished food costs, declining 1.5% in December from the prior month, following no change in November. The most marked changes were for fresh and dry vegetables, which fell 14.9% sequentially, after rising 3.8% in November. Food costs had been rising steeply, driven in part by rising energy prices and the attendant demand for corn for ethanol, which crowded out land for growing wheat and increased feed costs. For the full-year 2008, food costs rose 3.7%, following a 7.6% jump in 2007. The drop in food costs follows a string of price increases taken by[More...]

Restaurants Add Low-Price Promotions

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:01:00 GMT

The restaurant industry had some good news earlier this summer, when restaurant traffic seemed to stabilize and stock prices increased. We chatted with Zacks senior restaurant industry analyst Ann Northrop, CFA to see if some positive sentiment remains in the group, or perhaps just for a few stocks. It's been about a year since the U.S. economy began softening under fears of a mortgage-led credit crisis. In what ways has the restaurant industry been dealing with this issue? Restaurant operators are being squeezed by declining customer traffic and rising food and labor costs. To stem the traffic drain, most operators are running value promotions and have stepped up advertising while raising prices. Restaurants at all ends of the spectrum are running value promotions, from the $1 value menu at many quick service[More...]

Few Thoughts and a Look at the Earnings in the Coming Week

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:15:00 GMT

WITH RESPECT TO THE US’ GDP GROWTH, THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH SEES A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN ECONOMIC ACTITIVY SPREAD ACROSS THE ECONOMY, WHICH WILL LAST MORE THAN A FEW MONTHS - WSJ - According to Robert Hall, economist at Stanford University, US economic data that has been reported provide (...)[More...]

Analyst Commentsts: Coke, Unilever, Anesiva, Immucor, Morton's

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:50:18 GMT

The Coca-Cola Company (KO) has strong soft drink brands, leading market shares, and generates solid cash flow. The company's new Chief Executive Officer, Muhtar Kent, will continue with predecessor Isdell's revitalization plan to deal with the challenges of sluggish volume trends. While focusing on the long-term objective of high single-digit earnings per share growth, the management is improving the Coca-Cola...[More...]

Retail Survey Report: Van Heusen, QC Holdings, Chipotle Mexican Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, Morton’s Steakhouse

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:06:55 GMT

Van Heusen's Best Selling Product is Men's Dress Shirts, QC Holdings Says its Average Loan is $329 and Business is Up from Last Year, Chipotle Mexican Grill has New Locations and 48% say their Business is Up[More...]

Analyst Comments:Acxiom, Avis, Agrium, Avnet, CarMax, Morton's Restaurant, LeapFrog, Duke Realty

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:09:59 GMT

We continue to rate Acxiom Corporation (ACXM) a Hold with a target price of $12. Management's guidance for fiscal 2008 remains lackluster and essentially suspended long-term financial guidance due to lack of visibility. Revenues are expected to be flat or down 1% compared to fiscal year 2007 while EPS, before any one-time...[More...]

Analyst Comments: Morton's Restaurants, Southern Copper's, PMI Group, Jamba Juice, Lockheed Martin, Dynamic Materials, Centennial Communications, Celanese, Equinix, Optimer Pharmaceuticals

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:12:14 GMT

Zacks senior restaurant industry analyst Ann Northrop, CFA downgraded shares of Morton's Restaurants (MRT) from Buy to Hold a month ago. She currently is reiterating her recommendation on shares of the upscale steakhouse chain:'Morton's reputation for serving world-class food and hospitality is driving strong sales, which, coupled with its stringent cost management,...[More...]

Stay Cautious on Restaurants' Value

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:08:01 GMT

When we sat down recently with Zacks senior restaurant industry analyst Ann Northrop, CFA, we were able to get a better glimpse into what we should be looking for in restaurant stocks once conditions start to improve. You were among the first of Zacks' analysts to recognize the slowing economy having a negative effect on your coverage - casual dining, in particular. Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel, or will 2008 be more of the same for that segment of the restaurant industry? The near-term fate of the restaurant industry depends on the economy. Right now, the industry is facing stagflation - declining traffic and rising costs. And it doesn't appear that the cash squeeze consumers are feeling from high gas prices and rising ARM payments will abate anytime soon. Many economists are predicting the subprime mortgage mess will drag the economy[More...]

Restaurants Spend More on Advertising - Oct 23 2007 12:06PM

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:00:51 GMT

With food costs going up recently, we were wondering how the different groups within the restaurant industry - upscale, casual and quick-service dining - were faring these days. Zacks senior restaurant industry analyst Ann Northrop, CFA was on hand to give us her perspective. How do you see the state of the restaurant industry at the present time, in general? The restaurant industry is currently facing significant challenges to top-line growth and cost containment. Rising gas prices and mortgage payments are squeezing consumer spending, while food - primarily corn, chicken, dairy and, to a lesser extent, beef - and labor costs - minimum wage hikes - are challenging restaurants to maintain margins. The casual dining sector has been hardest hit, as cash-strapped consumers trade down to fast casual and quick service. In particular, the bar and grill ch[More...]

Startup Developer Planning Two Bangkok Condos

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:49:00 GMT

Sep. 30--The new property firm One Property Development is preparing to launch at least two condominiums worth a combined 1.2-1.5 billion baht this year.
The first project will be the 500-million-baht Colory Vivid budget condominium located on one rai on Soi Pracha Rat Bampen 6 in the Ratchadaphisek-Huai Khwang area, around 280 metres from Huai Khwang MRT station, said the company's managing director Chaiyapong Vechamamontien.
The second project will be an 800- million-baht low-rise condominium on Soi Sukhumvit 40, with a launch likely late this year.

: iStockAnalyst.com Symbols Feed

Recession-Resistant Restaurant Stocks

Restaurant Margin Relief Underway

Restaurants Add Low-Price Promotions

Few Thoughts and a Look at the Earnings in the Coming Week

Analyst Commentsts: Coke, Unilever, Anesiva, Immucor, Morton's

Retail Survey Report: Van Heusen, QC Holdings, Chipotle Mexican Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, Morton’s Steakhouse

Analyst Comments:Acxiom, Avis, Agrium, Avnet, CarMax, Morton's Restaurant, LeapFrog, Duke Realty

Analyst Comments: Morton's Restaurants, Southern Copper's, PMI Group, Jamba Juice, Lockheed Martin, Dynamic Materials, Centennial Communications, Celanese, Equinix, Optimer Pharmaceuticals

Stay Cautious on Restaurants' Value

Restaurants Spend More on Advertising - Oct 23 2007 12:06PM

Startup Developer Planning Two Bangkok Condos

Morton's Restaurant Group Reports Loss in Q2

Preuksa Plans Yaowarat Condo

Morton's Closes SouthPark Steakhouse

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. Reports Results For Second Quarter 2009

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. to Issue Results for Second Quarter 2009 On August 5, 2009; Conference Call Scheduled

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. Announces Settlement of Certain Wage and Hour Claims

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. to Present at 29th Annual Piper Jaffray Consumer Conference

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. Reports Results For First Quarter 2009

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. to Issue Results for First Quarter 2009 on May 6, 2009; Conference Call Scheduled

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. to Present at Telsey Advisory Group First Annual Consumer Conference

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. Reports Results for Fiscal 2008 Fourth Quarter and for the Fiscal Year

Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc. to Issue Results for Fourth Quarter 2008 and for the Fiscal Year Ended January 4, 2009 on March 9, 2009; Conference Call Scheduled

Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Morton's Restaurant Group, Cytori Therapeutics, Big 5 Sporting Goods, DeVry, Inc. And Sonic Innovations

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