Toronto, Ontario, August 8, 2017 – Pizza Pizza Royalty Corp. (the “Company”), which owns the Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 Rights and Marks, released financial results today for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2017.
Second Quarter highlights:
- Royalty Pool sales increased 1.7%
- Same store sales increased 1.6%
- Restaurant network grew by two locations
Year-to-date highlights:
- Royalty Pool sales increased 1.2%
- Same store sales increased 0.5%
- Restaurant network grew by six locations
- Royalty Pool of restaurants increased by 15 effective January 1, 2017
SALES
For the three months ended June 30, 2017 (“Quarter”), System Sales from the 751 restaurants in the Royalty Pool increased 1.7% to $134.6 million from $132.3 million in the prior year comparable quarter when there were 736 restaurants in the Royalty Pool. For the six month period, Royalty Pool System sales increased 1.2% to $268.4 million from $265.3 million in the same period last year. System Sales in the prior year six month period included an extra day of sales in February 2016 due to the leap year, which management estimated to be $1.0 million.
Same store sales growth (“SSSG”), the key driver of yield growth for shareholders of the Company, increased by 1.6% for the Quarter compared to a 0.9% increase in the same quarter last year. Year-to-date, SSSG increased by 0.5% compared to a 1.7% increase in 2016.
Royalty Pool System Sales for the Quarter and six months increased over the comparative periods in 2016 as a result of the reported SSSG and the impact of restaurants added to the Royalty Pool on January 1, 2017. Additionally, the extra day of sales in the prior year quarter should be considered when comparing 2017 to 2016.
Paul Goddard, CEO, Pizza Pizza Limited, said: “Overall, we’re pleased with our second quarter results after a soft beginning to the year. Our two brands successfully increased customer orders over last year which lead to the combined sales increases, however the Pizza 73 brand continues to be affected by the negative economic conditions in Alberta. At Pizza Pizza, in the last half of the year, we plan to build on the second quarter momentum as we continue celebrating Pizza Pizza’s 50thanniversary through upcoming contests and valuable offerings to consumers.”
MONTHLY DIVIDENDS AND WORKING CAPITAL RESERVE
In the quarter, the Company declared shareholder dividends of $5.3 million, or $0.2139 per Share, compared to $5.2 million, or $0.2107 per Share, for the prior year comparable quarter. The payout ratio was 104% for the Quarter and was 103% in the prior year comparable quarter.
For the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company declared shareholder dividends of $10.5 million, or $0.4278 per Share, compared to $10.3 million, or $0.4198 per Share, for the prior year comparable period. The payout ratio was 103% for the six months compared to 102% in the prior year period.
For Canadian federal tax purposes, the dividend is considered a taxable eligible dividend.
The Company’s working capital reserve is $4.8 million at June 30, 2017, which is a decrease of $339,000 as compared to December 31, 2016. The decrease in the reserve was the result of relatively flat adjusted earnings in the Quarter, coupled with an increase in the dividend effective June 2016.
With this reserve in place, the Company has set a 2017 targeted payout ratio at or near 100% on an annualized basis.
The reserve is available to stabilize dividends and fund other expenditures in the event of short- to medium-term variability in System Sales and, thus, the Company’s royalty income. The Company does not have capital expenditure requirements or employees.
EARNINGS PER SHARE (“EPS”)
Fully-diluted basic EPS for the Quarter increased 1.9% to $0.212 per share compared to $0.208 per share for the same quarter in 2016. For the six month period, the basic EPS increased 1.4% to $0.429 from $0.423 per share. The increase in EPS is attributable to increased royalty income and a decrease in administrative expenses.
As compared to basic EPS, the Company considers “adjusted” EPS[1] to be a more meaningful indicator of the Company’s operating performance and, therefore, presents fully-diluted adjusted EPS. Adjusted EPS for the Quarter increased 1.1% to $0.218 when compared to the same period of 2016, and increased 0.7% for the six month period.
CURRENT INCOME TAX EXPENSE
Current income tax expense for the Quarter and six month period were relatively consistent with the 2016 comparable periods at $1.4 million and $2.7 million, respectively, as the operating results were comparable.
Of particular note is that the Company’s earnings from operations before income taxes, calculated under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), differs significantly from its taxable income, largely due to the tax amortization of the Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 Rights and Marks. The amount of the tax amortization deducted is based on a declining basis and will decrease annually.
RESTAURANT DEVELOPMENT
The number of restaurants in the Company’s Royalty Pool increased by a net, 15 to 751 on the January 1, 2017 Adjustment Date. The number of restaurants in the Royalty Pool will remain unchanged through December 31, 2017.
During the Quarter, Pizza Pizza Limited (“PPL”) opened seven restaurants and closed five. By brand, for the Quarter, Pizza Pizza opened two traditional and two non-traditional restaurants; two traditional and two non-traditional locations were closed. Pizza 73 opened three traditional restaurants; one Pizza 73 non-traditional restaurant was closed.
During the six month period, Pizza Pizza Limited (“PPL”) opened 13 restaurants and closed seven. By brand, for the six month period, Pizza Pizza opened five traditional and three non-traditional restaurants; two traditional and four non-traditional locations were closed. Pizza 73 opened five traditional restaurants; one Pizza 73 restaurant was closed.
Readers should note that the number of restaurants added to the Royalty Pool each year may differ from the number of restaurant openings and closings reported by PPL on an annual basis as the periods for which they are reported differ slightly.
[1] Adjusted earnings and adjusted EPS are not recognized measures under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and may be calculated in a manner that differs from that used by other issuers. For additional information about the calculation and use of these measures, please see “Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Measures” in the Company’s Management’s Discussion & Analysis (“MD&A”).
SELECTED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following table sets out selected financial information and other data of the Company and should be read in conjunction with the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company. Readers should note that the 2017 results are not directly comparable to the 2016 results because of an extra day of royalty revenue in 2016 due to the leap year, in addition to the fact that there are 751 restaurants in the 2017 Royalty Pool compared to 736 restaurants in the 2016 Royalty Pool.
A copy of the Company’s unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related MD&A will be available at www.sedar.com and phx2uat.pizzapizza.ca after the market closes on August 8, 2017.
As previously announced, the Company will host a conference call to discuss the results. The details of the conference call are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Call-in number: 416-340-2216 / 800-377-0758
Recording call in number: 905-694-9451 / 800-408-3053
Available until midnight, August 22, 2017
Passcode: 1655606#
A recording of the call will also be available on the Company’s website phx2uat.pizzapizza.ca.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this report may constitute “forward-looking” statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. When used in this report, such statements include such words as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “plan”, and other similar terminology. These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this report. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company’s annual information form. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws.
For further information:
Curt Feltner, Chief Financial Officer, Pizza Pizza Limited
(416) 967-1010 x307
phx2uat.pizzapizza.ca and www.pizza73.com or www.sedar.com.
Christine D’Sylva, Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations, Pizza Pizza Limited
(416) 967-1010 x393
