NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 23, 2019 // PRNewswire // - Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) today reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2019.
Second quarter highlights, year over year:
1 Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations to GAAP measures and further information are set forth in the table at the end of this press release.
"We're pleased with our financial performance, which marks the sixth consecutive quarter of accelerating comps and reflects continued progress on our key strategic initiatives," said Brian Niccol, Chief Executive Officer. "These strong results were delivered despite a tougher year over year comparison and benefited from better restaurant operations, more effective marketing, and leveraging our digital make line to grow sales and expand access."
Results for the three months ended June 30, 2019:
Revenue in the second quarter increased to $1.4 billion, an increase of 13.2% compared with the same quarter a year ago. The increase in revenue was driven by a 10.0% increase in comparable restaurant sales. Comparable restaurant sales improved primarily due to a nearly 7% increase in comparable restaurant transactions and an approximate 3.5% increase in the average check, which includes a benefit from menu price increases that were implemented during 2018, partially offset by approximately 40 basis points as a result of deferred revenue from our Chipotle Rewards loyalty program.
We opened 20 new restaurants during the quarter and closed 1, bringing the total restaurant count to 2,523.
Food, beverage and packaging costs were 33.7% of revenue, an increase of 110 basis points compared to the second quarter of 2018. The increase was primarily due to the increased cost of avocados and, to a lesser extent, increased dairy costs, partially offset by the benefit of menu price increases nationwide at the end of 2018.
Restaurant level operating margin was 20.9%, an increase from 19.7% in the second quarter of 2018. The improvement was driven primarily by leverage from the comparable restaurant sales increase, partially offset by wage inflation at the crew level, higher food costs, and increased delivery, marketing and promotional expenses.
General and administrative expenses for the quarter was $121 million on a GAAP basis, or $97 million on a non-GAAP basis, excluding $4 million related to transformation expenses, and $20 million for legal reserves. GAAP and non-GAAP general and administrative expenses includes $21 million related to non-cash stock compensation, and $4 million related to higher bonus accruals from our strong operating performance and payroll taxes on stock option exercises. Without these items, underlying general and administrative expenses totaled $72 million for the second quarter of 2019, similar to the first quarter of 2019 and in-line with expectations. The $20 million for legal reserves related to legal proceedings, much of which relate to older cases, includes an estimate for the previously disclosed government investigation that has been on-going for nearly four years.
Impairment, closure costs, and asset disposals decreased $40.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to the second quarter 2018, primarily due to elevated impairment in the comparable period 2018.
The effective tax rate decreased to 26.6% for the three months ended June 30, 2019, from 33.3% in the second quarter of 2018. The decrease was primarily due to current quarter excess tax benefits from stock compensation, and a favorable reduction in non-deductible employee meals, partially offset by a portion of the loss contingencies related to legal proceedings recorded this quarter that are non-deductible.
Net income was $91.0 million, or $3.22 per diluted share, an increase from $46.9 million, or $1.68 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2018. Excluding the impact of restaurant closure costs, corporate restructuring, legal reserves, and certain other costs, adjusted net income was $112.9 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share was $3.99.
During the quarter, our Board of Directors approved the investment of up to an additional $100 million, exclusive of commissions, to repurchase shares of our common stock. This repurchase authorization, in addition to approximately $46.6 million available as of June 30, 2019, for repurchases under previously announced repurchase authorizations, may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time.
Outlook
For 2019, management is anticipating the following:
Definitions
The following definitions apply to these terms as used throughout this release:
Conference Call Details
Chipotle will host a conference call to discuss second quarter 2019 financial results on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 4:30 PM Eastern time.
The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-888-317-6003 or for international callers by dialing 1-412-317-6061 and use code: 4273517. The call will be webcast live from the company's website on the investor relations page at ir.chipotle.com/events. An archived webcast will be available approximately one hour after the end of the call.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had approximately 2,500 restaurants as of June 30, 2019, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With more than 80,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Steve Ells, founder and executive chairman, first opened Chipotle with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release, including statements under the heading "Outlook" about our expected comparable restaurant sales, effective tax rate and estimated number of new restaurant openings in 2019, are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We use words such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "should", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "project", "target", and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date any such statements are made and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements, including but not limited to the following: the uncertainty of our ability to achieve expected levels of comparable restaurant sales due to factors such as changes in consumers' perceptions of our brand, including as a result of actual or rumored food-borne illness incidents or other negative publicity, the impact of competition, including from sources outside the restaurant industry, decreased overall consumer spending, or the inability to increase menu prices or realize the benefits of menu price increases; the risk of food-borne illnesses and other health concerns about our food or dining out generally; risks associated with our increased focus on our digital business, delivery orders and catering, including our inability to continue to grow these business lines and risks arising from our reliance on third parties to fulfill delivery orders; factors that could affect our ability to achieve our planned expansion, such as the availability of suitable new restaurant sites and our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; the performance of new restaurants and their impact on existing restaurant sales; the potential for increased labor costs or difficulty training and retaining qualified employees, including as a result of market pressures, enhanced food safety procedures in our restaurants, or new regulatory requirements; increases in the cost of food ingredients and other key supplies or higher food costs due to changes in supply chain protocols or new or increased export duties, tariffs or trade restrictions; risks related to our marketing and advertising strategies, which may not be successful and may expose us to liabilities; risks relating to our expansion into new markets, including outside the U.S., or non-traditional restaurant sites; the impact of federal, state or local government regulations relating to our employees, our restaurant design, or the sale of food or alcoholic beverages; risks associated with our Food With Integrity philosophy, including supply shortages and potential liabilities from advertising claims and other marketing activities related to this philosophy; privacy and cyber security risks associated with our acceptance of electronic payments or electronic storage and processing of confidential customer or employee information; risks relating to litigation, including possible governmental actions related to food-borne illness incidents, as well as class action litigation regarding employment laws, advertising claims or other matters; risks relating to the impact of social media, including the rapid proliferation of information about our restaurants or brand that may be unfavorable; risks regarding our ability to protect our brand and reputation; risks associated with our reliance on certain information technology systems; risks associated with our dependence on key personnel; and other risk factors described from time to time in our SEC reports, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, all of which are available on the investor relations page of our website at ir.Chipotle.com.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
The following provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures presented in the text above to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.
Adjusted net income is net income excluding restaurant asset impairment, corporate restructuring, and certain other costs. Adjusted diluted earnings per share is adjusted net income divided by diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding. We believe that these measures enhance investors' ability to compare the past financial performance of our underlying business with our current business performance and reflect the performance of our underlying restaurants separate from asset impairment, corporate restructuring and certain other costs at the corporate level. Management uses these non-GAAP measures for similar purposes. Our adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share measure may not be comparable to other companies' adjusted income measures.
Laurie Schalow
Media Relations
(949) 524-4035
MediaRelations@chipotle.com
Ashish Kohli, CFA
Investor Relations
(949) 524-4132
Akohli@chipotle.com
SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere.