Papa John’s, Domino’s Stock Tanks Despite Sales Bump

Papa John’s and Domino’s Pizza, two of the world’s largest pizza brands, reported double-digit growth in same-store sales throughout 2020 but still saw their stocks drop after Q4 earnings reports released on Thursday showed both brands fell short of profitability expectations.

Still, the pizza giants’ earnings point to a largely positive trend in their segment: The pandemic has been great for off-premise restaurant sales, particularly pizza. 

Papa John’s actually beat its revenue expectations, posting $469.8 million versus the $467.9 million expected, but the brand missed on earnings, posting earnings per share of 40 cents versus 46 cents expected. The franchisor blamed rising food costs and employee bonuses for the lapse in profitability, but its same-store sales jumped 15.5% in the quarter, mostly led by international stores. 

Domino’s narrowly missed revenue expectations, posting $1.36 billion versus $1.38 expected and missed more widely on earnings per share, which fell at just $3.46 versus the expected $3.85. The brand’s U.S. same-store sales shot up 11.2% for the quarter while international same-store sales growth reached 7.3%.

Pizza Hut reported an eight-percent increase in same-store sales in the U.S. but a seven-percent drop internationally for a total of a one-percent drop across the brand. 

At the time of this article’s publication, Domino’s stock was down more than seven percent, and Papa John’s was down more than 13%.