Domino's Pizza Announces 2011 Financial Results

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Domino's Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, today announced results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2011, each ended January 1, 2012. Domestic same store sales grew 6.8% during the fourth quarter versus the year-ago period, and 3.5% for the full year, indicating sustained improvement in the Company's domestic business. International also posted strong results with same store sales growth of 4.7% for the quarter, and 6.8% for the full year. This quarter marked the 72nd quarter -- or 18th full year -- of consecutive quarterly same store sales growth. The International division also had record net store growth in fiscal 2011 of 413 stores. Fourth quarter diluted EPS was 52 cents, up 30% over the as-adjusted diluted EPS in the prior year quarter. Diluted EPS, as adjusted was $1.69 for fiscal 2011, up 25% over the as-adjusted diluted EPS in the prior year. The Company also repurchased and retired 1,146,263 shares of its common stock for $35.8 million during the quarter and repurchased and retired 6,414,813 shares of its common stock for $165.0 million in fiscal 2011.

J. Patrick Doyle, Domino's President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Our positive results this year provide yet more evidence that we have successfully reset the bar for Domino's Pizza. The global momentum that we are driving through our innovation, commitment to food quality and outstanding service continues to energize our franchise owners and team members and inspire their terrific performance."

• Revenues were up 4.5% for the fourth quarter versus the prior-year period, due primarily to higher commodity prices impacting the Company's supply chain revenues, higher same store sales in both domestic and international stores and store count growth in international markets. Partially offsetting these increases were lower Company-owned store revenues, due primarily to the sale of Company-owned stores to multiple franchisees during 2011.

• Net Income was up 27.9% for the fourth quarter versus the prior-year period, primarily driven by domestic and international same store sales growth, international store growth and lower interest expense.

• Diluted EPS was 52 cents on an as-reported basis for the fourth quarter versus 39 cents in the prior-year quarter. Diluted EPS, as adjusted was also 52 cents for the fourth quarter versus 40 cents in the prior-year quarter -- an increase of 12 cents, or 30%. This increase was primarily due to higher net income and lower weighted average diluted shares outstanding. (See the Items Affecting Comparability section and the Comments on Non-GAAP Measures section.)

• Global Retail Sales were up 8.8% in the fourth quarter, or up 9.9% when excluding the impact of foreign currency. For fiscal 2011, global retail sales were up 11.0%, or up 8.8% when excluding the impact of foreign currency.

Conference Call Information

The Company will file its annual report on Form 10-K this morning.  Additionally, as previously announced, Domino's Pizza, Inc. will hold a conference call today at 10 a.m. (Eastern) to review its fiscal 2011 financial results.  The call can be accessed by dialing (888) 306-6182 (U.S./Canada) or (706) 634-4947 (International).  Ask for the Domino's Pizza conference call.  The call will also be webcast at www.dominosbiz.com.  If you are unable to participate on the call, a replay will be available for thirty days by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S./Canada) or (404) 537-3406 (International), Conference ID 41245361.  The webcast will also be archived for 30 days on www.dominosbiz.com.

Share Repurchases

During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company repurchased and retired 1,146,263 shares of its common stock under its open market share repurchase program for approximately $35.8 million, or an average price of $31.25 per share. For fiscal 2011, the Company repurchased and retired 6,414,813 shares of its common stock for approximately $165.0 million, or an average price of $25.72 per share. The Company has used approximately 59% of the total amount authorized under its open market share repurchase program and has approximately $82.3 million remaining under the program, which the Company's Board of Directors reset at $200.0 million during the third quarter of 2011.

Items Affecting Comparability

The Company's reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2011 are not comparable to the reported financial results for the equivalent prior-year periods. The table below presents certain items that affect comparability between 2011 and 2010 financial results.  Management believes that including such information is critical to the understanding of its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2011 as compared to the same periods in 2010 (See the Comments on Non-GAAP Measures section).

In addition to the items noted in the table below, the Company experienced lower interest expense primarily as a result of lower debt levels, further impacting comparability to the prior year periods.  Lower interest expense resulted in an increase in diluted EPS of approximately one cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and four cents in fiscal 2011 versus the comparable periods in 2010.

Long Range Outlook

The Company does not provide quarterly or annual earnings estimates. The following long range outlook does not constitute specific earnings guidance, but management believes these ranges to be appropriate and achievable over the long term. Management noted that it had recently increased portions of this long range outlook, as noted below:

Liquidity

As of January 1, 2012, the Company had approximately:

• $50.3 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, and
• $1.45 billion in total debt, including $60.0 million of borrowings under its $60.0 million variable funding note facility.

The Company's cash borrowing rate averaged 5.9% for both the fourth quarter and fiscal 2011.  It invested $24.3 million in capital expenditures during fiscal 2011 versus $25.4 million in fiscal 2010.  

Free cash flow, as reconciled below to cash flows from operations as determined under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), was approximately $128.7 million in fiscal 2011.

Comments on Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to the GAAP financial measures set forth in this press release, the Company has included non-GAAP financial measures relative to items affecting comparability between fiscal quarters.  Additionally, the Company has included metrics such as global retail sales growth and same store sales growth, which are commonly used statistical measures in the quick-service restaurant industry and are important to understanding Company performance.

The Company uses "Diluted EPS, as adjusted," which is calculated as reported Diluted EPS adjusted for the items that affect comparability to the prior year periods discussed above.  The most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP is Diluted EPS.  The Company's management believes that the Diluted EPS, as adjusted, measure is important and useful to investors and other interested persons and that such persons benefit from having a consistent basis for comparison between reporting periods.  Management uses Diluted EPS, as adjusted, to internally evaluate operating performance, to evaluate itself against its peers and to determine future performance targets and long-range planning.  Additionally, the Company believes that analysts covering the Company's stock performance generally eliminate these items affecting comparability when preparing their financial models, when determining their published EPS estimates and when benchmarking the Company against its competitors.  

The Company uses "Global retail sales" to refer to total worldwide retail sales at Company-owned and franchise stores. Management believes global retail sales information is useful in analyzing revenues because franchisees pay royalties that are based on a percentage of franchise retail sales. Management reviews comparable industry global retail sales information to assess business trends and to track the growth of the Domino's Pizza® brand. In addition, domestic supply chain revenues are directly impacted by changes in domestic franchise retail sales. Retail sales for franchise stores are reported to the Company by its franchisees and are not included in Company revenues.

The Company uses "Same store sales growth," calculated by including only sales from stores that also had sales in the comparable period of the prior year.  International same store sales growth is calculated similarly to domestic same store sales growth.  Changes in international same store sales are reported on a constant dollar basis, which reflects changes in international local currency sales.  

The Company uses "Free cash flow," calculated as cash flows from operations less capital expenditures, both as reported under GAAP.  Management believes that the free cash flow measure is important to investors and other interested persons, and that such persons benefit from having a measure which communicates how much cash flow is available for working capital needs or to be used for repurchasing debt, making acquisitions, repurchasing common stock, paying dividends or other similar uses of cash.

About Domino's Pizza®

Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery.  Domino's is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "DPZ."  As of the fourth quarter of 2011, through its primarily locally-owned and operated franchised system, Domino's operated a network of 9,742 franchised and Company-owned stores in the United States and over 70 international markets.  During the fourth quarter of 2011, Domino's had global retail sales of nearly $2.2 billion, comprised of nearly $1.1 billion domestically and over $1.1 billion internationally.  Domino's Pizza had global retail sales of over $6.9 billion in 2011, comprised of over $3.4 billion domestically and over $3.5 billion internationally. 

In May 2011, Pizza Today named Domino's its "Chain of the Year" for the second straight year – making the company a three-time overall winner, and the first pizza delivery company to receive the honor in back-to-back years.  In 2011, Domino's was ranked #1 in Forbes Magazine's "Top 20 Franchises for the Money" list.  Helped by the launch of its Domino's Smart Slice school lunch pizza in late 2010, Domino's is collaborating with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to serve healthier school foods and beverages in the United States.  In late 2009, Domino's debuted its "Inspired New Pizza" – a permanent change to its hand-tossed product, reinvented from the crust up.

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SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "estimates," or "anticipates" or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans or intentions.  These forward-looking statements relating to our anticipated profitability, estimates in same store sales growth, the growth of our international business, ability to service our indebtedness, our intentions with respect to the extensions of the interest-only period on our fixed rate notes, our operating performance, the anticipated success of our reformulated pizza product, trends in our business and other descriptions of future events reflect management's expectations based upon currently available information and data.  However, actual results are subject to future risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the level of and our ability to refinance our long-term and other indebtedness; uncertainties relating to litigation; consumer preferences, spending patterns and demographic trends; the effectiveness of our advertising, operations and promotional initiatives; the strength of our brand in the markets in which we compete; our ability to retain key personnel; new product and concept developments by us, such as our reformulated pizza, and other food-industry competitors; the ongoing level of profitability of our franchisees; and our ability and that of our franchisees' to open new restaurants and keep existing restaurants in operation; changes in food prices, particularly cheese, labor, utilities, insurance, employee benefits and other operating costs; the impact that widespread illness or general health concerns may have on our business and the economy of the countries where we operate; severe weather conditions and natural disasters; changes in our effective tax rate; changes in government legislation and regulations; adequacy of our insurance coverage; costs related to future financings; our ability and that of our franchisees to successfully operate in the current credit environment; changes in the level of consumer spending given the general economic conditions including interest rates, energy prices and weak consumer confidence; availability of borrowings under our variable funding notes and our letters of credit; changes in accounting policies; and the European sovereign debt crisis and its potential to negatively impact the global economy.  Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations are more fully described in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the section headed "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K.  Except as required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  

TABLES TO FOLLOW

SOURCE Domino's Pizza, Inc.