Denny’s Corporation Reports Results for Second Quarter 2015


-  7.3% Growth in Domestic System-Wide Same-Store Sales  -

-  Adjusted Net Income per Share* Grows 21.2%  -

-  Raises 2015 Full Year Guidance for Same-Store Sales and Adjusted EBITDA*  -

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Aug. 03, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denny’s Corporation (NASDAQ:DENN), franchisor and operator of one of America's largest franchised full-service restaurant chains, today reported results for its second quarter ended July 1, 2015.

Second Quarter Summary

  • Domestic system-wide same-store sales growth of 7.3%, comprised of a 7.9% increase at company restaurants and 7.2% increase at domestic franchised restaurants.
  • Opened 13 system restaurants including four international locations.
  • Completed 77 remodels including 17 at company restaurants.
  • Adjusted EBITDA* of $24.4 million, or 19.8% of total operating revenue, increased 15.9%.
  • Net Income of $9.7 million increased 17.7% with Diluted Net Income per Share of $0.11 growing 20.8%.
  • Adjusted Net Income of $9.8 million grew 18.1% with Adjusted Net Income per Share* of $0.11 increasing 21.2%.
  • Generated $9.6 million of Free Cash Flow* after remodel investments at company restaurants and the purchase of one parcel of real estate.
  • Allocated $16.1 million to repurchase 1.5 million shares during the second quarter.

* Adjusted Net Income excludes debt refinancing charges, impairment charges and gains on sales of assets and other.  Please refer to the historical reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per Share, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow included in the following tables.

John Miller, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We generated another quarter of strong same-store sales growth at both franchised and company restaurants including our third consecutive quarter of growth in system-wide guest traffic.  We are benefitting from the investments we have made in our brand revitalization strategy to enhance our food, service and atmosphere.  Our success in driving profitable guest traffic growth and increasing guest satisfaction scores confirm that the improvements we have made are resonating with our guests, franchisees and employees.  Going forward, we will remain focused on executing our strategies to elevate the Denny’s experience and are still in the early stages of the revitalization process as our Heritage remodel program has penetrated nearly 25% of the system.”

Second Quarter Results

Denny’s total operating revenue grew 7.6% to $123.3 million resulting from an increase in both company restaurant sales along with franchise and license revenue.  Franchise and license revenue of $34.7 million increased $1.2 million, or 3.6%, primarily due to higher royalty revenue resulting from an increase in same-store sales.  Company restaurant sales of $88.6 million grew $7.5 million, or 9.2%, primarily due to the increase in same-store sales and the reopening of the Las Vegas Casino Royale restaurant in November 2014.

In the second quarter, Denny’s opened 13 franchised restaurants, including four international locations, and closed 11 system restaurants, including one company restaurant, bringing the total number of restaurants to 1,696.  Domestic system-wide same-store sales grew 7.3%, including a 7.9% increase at company restaurants and 7.2% increase at domestic franchised restaurants.

Franchise operating margin was $23.5 million, or 67.7% of franchise and license revenue, an increase of $0.6 million.  This improvement was primarily due to an increase in royalties, partially offset by a rise in direct costs.  Company restaurant operating margin of $16.3 million, or 18.4% of company restaurant sales, increased $4.8 million, or 4.2 percentage points.  The improvement in company margin was primarily driven by the leveraging effect from the growth in same-store sales.

Total general and administrative expenses were $16.8 million compared to $14.1 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to higher incentive and share-based compensation expenses, along with higher payroll and benefits expenses.  Depreciation and amortization expense was flat at $5.3 million, as was interest expense at $2.3 million.  In the second quarter, the provision for income taxes was $5.5 million, reflecting an effective tax rate of 36.1%.  Due to the use of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards, the Company paid $3.9 million in cash taxes during the second quarter.

Denny's second quarter net income of $9.7 million increased 17.7% compared to prior year quarter net income of $8.3 million, with net income per diluted share of $0.11 growing 20.8% compared to $0.09 per diluted share in the prior year quarter.  Adjusted Net Income* of $9.8 million grew 18.1% compared to prior year quarter Adjusted Net Income* of $8.3 million.  Adjusted Net Income per Share* of $0.11 increased 21.2% compared to prior year quarter Adjusted Net Income per Share* of $0.09.

Denny’s generated $9.6 million of Free Cash Flow* in the second quarter, after investing $9.0 million on capital expenditures primarily used to remodel 17 company restaurants and to acquire a parcel of real estate, which is leased to a franchisee.  During the quarter, the Company repurchased 1.5 million shares for $16.1 million.  At the end of the second quarter, the Company had approximately 10.5 million shares authorized under its ongoing repurchase programs based on the closing share price on July 31, 2015.  Denny’s ended the second quarter with $160.6 million of total debt outstanding, including $142.0 million of borrowings under its revolving credit facility.

Business Outlook

Mark Wolfinger, Denny's Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer, commented, “Our second quarter same-store sales growth and operations execution helped drive another quarter of margin expansion at our company operated restaurants leading to 21% growth in Adjusted Net Income per Share*.  We are focused on driving long-term shareholder value through our highly franchised business while balancing our Free Cash Flow* allocation between reinvesting in our brand and company restaurants and returning value to our shareholders through our share repurchase program.”

The following full year 2015 estimates are based on management’s expectations at this time.  A key consideration impacting the Company's outlook for 2015 is having 52 operating weeks in the year compared to 53 operating weeks in 2014.

ComponentFull Year 2015 Guidance
 Previous**  Current
Domestic Franchise Same-Store Sales2.5% to 3.5%  5.0% to 6.0%
Company Same-Store Sales3.5% to 4.5%  5.5% to 6.5%
New Restaurant Openings35 - 45 (All Franchised)  40 - 45 (All Franchised)
Net Restaurant GrowthSingle Digit  No Change
Total General and Administrative Expenses (includes Share-Based Compensation)$61M to $64M  $64M to $67M
Adjusted EBITDA*$85M to $87M  $86M to $88M
Cash Capital Expenditures$24M to $26M  $26M to $28M
Depreciation and Amortization Expense$20M to $21M  No Change
Interest Expense, net$8.5M to $9.5M  No Change
Effective Income Tax Rate
(Cash Taxes)
36% to 38%
($6M to $8M)
  35% to 37%
(No Change)
Free Cash Flow*$45M to $47M  $44M to $46M

*      Please refer to the historical reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per Share, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow included in the following tables.
**   As announced in First Quarter 2015 Earnings Release on May 4, 2015.
Conference Call and Webcast Information

Denny’s will provide further commentary on the results for the second quarter ended July 1, 2015 on its quarterly investor conference call today, Monday, August 3, 2015 at 4:30 p.m. ET.  Interested parties are invited to listen to a live broadcast of the conference call accessible through the investor relations section of Denny’s website at investor.dennys.com. A replay of the call may be accessed at the same location later in the day and will remain available for 30 days.

About Denny’s

Denny's is the franchisor and operator of one of America's largest franchised full-service restaurant chains, based on the number of restaurants.  As of July 1, 2015, Denny’s had 1,696 franchised, licensed, and company restaurants around the world with combined sales of $2.7 billion including 108 restaurants in Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, Guam, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Chile and New Zealand, and 160 company operated restaurants in the United States.  For further information on Denny's, including news releases, links to SEC filings and other financial information, please visit the Denny's investor relations website at investor.dennys.com.

The Company urges caution in considering its current trends and any outlook on earnings disclosed in this press release.  In addition, certain matters discussed in this release may constitute forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements, which reflect its best judgment based on factors currently known, are intended to speak only as of the date such statements are made and involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual performance of Denny’s Corporation, its subsidiaries and underlying restaurants to be materially different from the performance indicated or implied by such statements.  Words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “plans”, “hopes”, and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.  Except as may be required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  Factors that could cause actual performance to differ materially from the performance indicated by these forward-looking statements include, among others:  the competitive pressures from within the restaurant industry; the level of success of the Company’s strategic and operating initiatives; advertising and promotional efforts; adverse publicity; changes in business strategy or development plans; terms and availability of capital; regional weather conditions; overall changes in the general economy, particularly at the retail level; political environment (including acts of war and terrorism); and other factors from time to time set forth in the Company’s SEC reports and other filings, including but not limited to the discussion in Management’s Discussion and Analysis and the risks identified in Item 1A. Risk Factors contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 (and in the Company’s subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q).

DENNY’S CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
       
(In thousands)July 1, 2015 December 31, 2014
Assets   
 Current assets   
  Cash and cash equivalents$5,125  $3,074 
  Receivables13,749  18,059 
  Current deferred income taxes23,081  24,310 
  Other current assets9,485  10,628 
   Total current assets51,440  56,071 
 Property, net113,467  109,777 
 Goodwill31,451  31,451 
 Intangible assets, net45,728  46,278 
 Noncurrent deferred income taxes12,879  19,252 
 Other noncurrent assets30,149  27,029 
   Total assets$285,114  $289,858 
       
Liabilities   
 Current liabilities   
  Current maturities of long-term debt$  $4,125 
  Current maturities of capital lease obligations3,259  3,609 
  Accounts payable12,277  13,250 
  Other current liabilities54,440  59,432 
   Total current liabilities69,976  80,416 
 Long-term liabilities   
  Long-term debt, less current maturities142,000  135,875 
  Capital lease obligations, less current maturities15,345  15,204 
  Other55,079  56,780 
   Total long-term liabilities212,424  207,859 
   Total liabilities282,400  288,275 
       
Shareholders' equity   
  Common stock1,064  1,058 
  Paid-in capital573,711  571,674 
  Deficit(419,954) (438,221)
  Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax(22,569) (24,602)
  Treasury stock(129,538) (108,326)
   Total shareholders' equity2,714  1,583 
   Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$285,114  $289,858 
       
Debt Balances
(In thousands)July 1, 2015 December 31, 2014
Credit facility revolver due 2020$142,000  $ 
Credit facility term loan and revolver due 2018  140,000 
Capital leases18,604  18,813 
 Total debt$160,604  $158,813 


DENNY’S CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(Unaudited)
      
   Quarter Ended
(In thousands, except per share amounts)July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014
Revenue:   
 Company restaurant sales$88,629  $81,138 
 Franchise and license revenue34,690  33,476 
  Total operating revenue123,319  114,614 
Costs of company restaurant sales72,320  69,647 
Costs of franchise and license revenue11,216  10,633 
General and administrative expenses16,827  14,068 
Depreciation and amortization5,314  5,281 
Operating (gains), losses and other charges, net228  40 
  Total operating costs and expenses, net105,905  99,669 
Operating income17,414  14,945 
Interest expense, net2,264  2,274 
Other nonoperating income, net(83) (332)
Net income before income taxes15,233  13,003 
Provision for income taxes5,499  4,730 
Net income$9,734  $8,273 
      
      
Basic net income per share$0.12  $0.10 
Diluted net income per share$0.11  $0.09 
      
Basic weighted average shares outstanding83,975  86,781 
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding86,080  88,384 
      
Comprehensive income$13,317  $7,885 
      
General and Administrative ExpensesQuarter Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014
Share-based compensation$1,859  $1,180 
Other general and administrative expenses14,968  12,888 
 Total general and administrative expenses$16,827  $14,068 


DENNY’S CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(Unaudited)
      
   Two Quarters Ended
(In thousands, except per share amounts)July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014
Revenue:   
 Company restaurant sales$174,611  $160,442 
 Franchise and license revenue68,879  66,092 
  Total operating revenue243,490  226,534 
Costs of company restaurant sales143,628  139,822 
Costs of franchise and license revenue22,194  21,330 
General and administrative expenses33,763  28,184 
Depreciation and amortization10,338  10,519 
Operating (gains), losses and other charges, net836  462 
  Total operating costs and expenses, net210,759  200,317 
Operating income32,731  26,217 
Interest expense, net4,351  4,596 
Other nonoperating income, net(54) (432)
Net income before income taxes28,434  22,053 
Provision for income taxes10,167  7,349 
Net income$18,267  $14,704 
      
      
Basic net income per share$0.22  $0.17 
Diluted net income per share$0.21  $0.16 
      
Basic weighted average shares outstanding84,467  87,792 
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding86,547  89,630 
      
Comprehensive income$20,300  $14,108 
    
General and Administrative ExpensesTwo Quarters Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014
Share-based compensation$3,564  $2,344 
Other general and administrative expenses30,199  25,840 
 Total general and administrative expenses$33,763  $28,184 


DENNY’S CORPORATION
Income, EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, and Net Income Reconciliations
(Unaudited)
            
Income, EBITDA and Free Cash Flow ReconciliationQuarter Ended Two Quarters Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014 July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014
Net income$9,734  $8,273  $18,267  $14,704 
Provision for income taxes5,499  4,730  10,167  7,349 
Operating (gains), losses and other charges, net228  40  836  462 
Other nonoperating income, net(83) (332) (54) (432)
Share-based compensation1,859  1,180  3,564  2,344 
Adjusted Income Before Taxes (1)$17,237  $13,891  $32,780  $24,427 
        
Interest expense, net2,264  2,274  4,351  4,596 
Depreciation and amortization5,314  5,281  10,338  10,519 
Cash payments for restructuring charges and exit costs(397) (385) (799) (1,016)
Cash payments for share-based compensation    (3,440) (1,083)
Adjusted EBITDA (1)$24,418  $21,061  $43,230  $37,443 
        
Cash interest expense, net(2,019) (2,010) (3,864) (4,062)
Cash paid for income taxes, net(3,862) (820) (4,160) (1,640)
Cash paid for capital expenditures(8,955) (6,669) (12,401) (13,526)
Free Cash Flow (1)$9,582  $11,562  $22,805  $18,215 
        
Net Income ReconciliationQuarter Ended Two Quarters Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014 July 1, 2015 June 25, 2014
Net income$9,734  $8,273  $18,267  $14,704 
Losses (gains) on sales of assets and other, net2  (33) (20) (41)
Impairment charges45  28  94  28 
Loss on debt refinancing    293   
Tax effect (2)(17) 2  (131) 4 
Adjusted Net Income (1)$9,764  $8,270  $18,503  $14,695 
        
Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding86,080  88,384  86,547  89,630 
        
Adjusted Net Income Per Share (1)$0.11  $0.09  $0.21  $0.16 
                
 (1)The Company believes that, in addition to other financial measures, Adjusted Income Before Taxes, Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income Per Share are appropriate indicators to assist in the evaluation of its operating performance on a period-to-period basis. The Company also uses Adjusted Income, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow internally as performance measures for planning purposes, including the preparation of annual operating budgets, and for compensation purposes, including bonuses for certain employees. Adjusted EBITDA is also used to evaluate its ability to service debt because the excluded charges do not have an impact on its prospective debt servicing capability and these adjustments are contemplated in its credit facility for the computation of its debt covenant ratios. Free Cash Flow, defined as Adjusted EBITDA less cash portion of interest expense net of interest income, capital expenditures, and cash taxes, is used to evaluate operating effectiveness and decisions regarding the allocation of resources. However, Adjusted Income, Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income Per Share should be considered as a supplement to, not a substitute for, operating income, net income or other financial performance measures prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
(2)Tax adjustments for the three and six months ended July 1, 2015 are calculated using the Company's year-to-date effective tax rate of 35.8%. Tax adjustments for the three and six months ended June 25, 2014 are calculated using the Company's 2014 year-to-date effective tax rate of 33.3%.


     
DENNY’S CORPORATION
Operating Margins
(Unaudited)
     
 Quarter Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015June 25, 2014
Company restaurant operations: (1)    
Company restaurant sales$  88,629  100.0%$  81,138  100.0%
Costs of company restaurant sales:    
Product costs 21,876  24.7% 21,327  26.3%
Payroll and benefits 33,665  38.0% 31,978  39.4
Occupancy 4,913  5.5% 4,899  6.0
Other operating costs:    
Utilities 3,132  3.5% 3,326  4.1
Repairs and maintenance 1,497  1.7% 1,473  1.8
Marketing 3,258  3.7% 2,855  3.5
Other 3,979  4.5% 3,789  4.7
Total costs of company restaurant sales$  72,320  81.6%$  69,647  85.8
Company restaurant operating margin (2)$  16,309  18.4%$  11,491  14.2
     
Franchise operations: (3)    
Franchise and license revenue:    
Royalties$  23,774  68.5%$  22,125  66.1
Initial fees 656  1.9 332  1.0
Occupancy revenue 10,260  29.6 11,019  32.9
Total franchise and license revenue$  34,690  100.0$  33,476  100.0
     
Costs of franchise and license revenue:    
Occupancy costs$  7,733  22.3$  8,213  24.6
Other direct costs 3,483  10.0 2,420  7.2
Total costs of franchise and license revenue$  11,216  32.3$  10,633  31.8
Franchise operating margin (2)$  23,474  67.7$  22,843  68.2
     
Total operating revenue (4)$  123,319  100.0$  114,614  100.0
Total costs of operating revenue (4) 83,536  67.7 80,280  70.0
Total operating margin (4)(2)$  39,783  32.3$  34,334  30.0
     
Other operating expenses: (4)(2)    
General and administrative expenses$  16,827  13.6$  14,068  12.3
Depreciation and amortization 5,314  4.3 5,281  4.6
Operating gains, losses and other charges, net 228  0.2 40 —%
Total other operating expenses$  22,369  18.1$  19,389  16.9
     
Operating income (4)$  17,414  14.1$  14,945  13.0
     
(1) As a percentage of company restaurant sales.
(2) Other operating expenses such as general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization relate to both company and franchise operations and are not allocated to costs of company restaurant sales and costs of franchise and license revenue.  As such, operating margin is considered a non-GAAP financial measure.  Operating margins should be considered as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, operating income, net income or other financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
(3) As a percentage of franchise and license revenue.
(4) As a percentage of total operating revenue.

 

     
DENNY’S CORPORATION
Operating Margins
(Unaudited)
     
 Two Quarters Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015June 25, 2014
Company restaurant operations: (1)    
Company restaurant sales$  174,611  100.0%$  160,442  100.0%
Costs of company restaurant sales:    
Product costs 43,320  24.8% 41,910  26.1%
Payroll and benefits 66,869  38.3 65,077  40.6
Occupancy 9,808  5.6 10,027  6.2
Other operating costs:    
Utilities 6,308  3.6 6,657  4.1
Repairs and maintenance 2,947  1.7 2,932  1.8
Marketing 6,465  3.7 5,862  3.7
Other 7,911  4.5 7,357  4.6
Total costs of company restaurant sales$  143,628  82.3$  139,822  87.1
Company restaurant operating margin (2)$  30,983  17.7$  20,620  12.9
     
Franchise operations: (3)    
Franchise and license revenue:    
Royalties$  46,937  68.1$  43,606  66.0
Initial fees 1,101  1.6 449  0.7
Occupancy revenue 20,841  30.3 22,037  33.3
Total franchise and license revenue$  68,879  100.0$  66,092  100.0
     
Costs of franchise and license revenue:    
Occupancy costs$  15,624  22.7$  16,481  25.0
Other direct costs 6,570  9.5 4,849  7.3
Total costs of franchise and license revenue$  22,194  32.2$  21,330  32.3
Franchise operating margin (2)$  46,685  67.8$  44,762  67.7
     
Total operating revenue (4)$  243,490  100.0$  226,534  100.0
Total costs of operating revenue (4) 165,822  68.1 161,152  71.1
Total operating margin (4)(2)$  77,668  31.9$  65,382  28.9
     
Other operating expenses: (4)(2)    
General and administrative expenses$  33,763  13.9$  28,184  12.4
Depreciation and amortization 10,338  4.2 10,519  4.6
Operating gains, losses and other charges, net 836  0.3 462  0.2
Total other operating expenses$  44,937  18.5$  39,165  17.3
     
Operating income (4)$  32,731  13.4$  26,217  11.6
     
(1) As a percentage of company restaurant sales.
(2) Other operating expenses such as general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization relate to both company and franchise operations and are not allocated to costs of company restaurant sales and costs of franchise and license revenue.  As such, operating margin is considered a non-GAAP financial measure.  Operating margins should be considered as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, operating income, net income or other financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
(3) As a percentage of franchise and license revenue.
(4) As a percentage of total operating revenue.

 

     
DENNY’S CORPORATION
Statistical Data
(Unaudited)
     
Same-Store SalesQuarter EndedTwo Quarters Ended
(increase vs. prior year)July 1, 2015June 25, 2014July 1, 2015June 25, 2014
Company Restaurants 7.9% 3.7% 7.7% 3.4%
Domestic Franchised Restaurants 7.2% 1.7% 7.2% 1.6%
Domestic System-wide Restaurants 7.3% 1.9% 7.2% 1.8%
System-wide Restaurants 6.4% 1.7% 6.5% 1.5%
     
Average Unit SalesQuarter EndedTwo Quarters Ended
(In thousands)July 1, 2015June 25, 2014July 1, 2015June 25, 2014
Company Restaurants$  559 $  511 $  1,097 $  1,009 
Franchised Restaurants$  400 $  366 $  788 $  722 
     
  Franchised  
Restaurant Unit ActivityCompany & LicensedTotal 
Ending Units April 1, 2015 160  1,534  1,694  
Units Opened 13  13  
Units Reacquired 1  (1) 
Units Closed (1) (10) (11) 
Net Change 2  2  
Ending Units July 1, 2015 160  1,536  1,696  
     
Equivalent Units    
Second Quarter 2015 158  1,536  1,694  
Second Quarter 2014 159  1,534  1,693  
Net Change (1) 2  1  
     
  Franchised  
Restaurant Unit ActivityCompany & LicensedTotal 
Ending Units December 31, 2014 161  1,541  1,702  
Units Opened 22  22  
Units Reacquired 1  (1) 
Units Closed (2) (26) (28) 
Net Change (1) (5) (6) 
Ending Units July 1, 2015 160  1,536  1,696  
     
Equivalent Units    
Year-to-Date 2015 159  1,536  1,695  
Year-to-Date 2014 159  1,535  1,694  
Net Change 1  1  
 


 


            

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