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Jack in the Box Profit Up 15%

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From Bloomberg News

The fast-food chain operator cites a lower tax rate for the results. Revenue rises 9%.

Jack in the Box Inc., the San Diego-based operator of more than 2,033 fast-food restaurants, said Wednesday that fiscal third-quarter profit climbed 15%, helped by a lower tax rate.

The company raised its net income forecast for the year to $2.52 a share from $2.46. It made $2.14 last year. Same-store sales are expected to climb 3%.

Net income rose to $23.9 million, or 66 cents a share, from $20.7 million, or 56 cents, a year earlier. Sales climbed 9% to $590.2 million.

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Profit was boosted by a drop in the company’s tax rate to 31% from 37% a year earlier as a result of the resolution of a previous year’s tax issue. Jack in the Box also benefited as sales at stores open at least a year jumped 2.8% after it introduced two new burgers on ciabatta bread.

The company expects beef costs to jump 12% to 14% this year, an increase from an earlier forecast of 10% to 12%.

Excluding the 6-cent benefit from the lower tax rate, the company would have made 60 cents a share. On that basis, which does not conform to generally accepted accounting principles, Jack in the Box matched the average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

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Jack in the Box shares fell 52 cents to $37.33.

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