It appears that Wendy's/Arby's (WEN) is about to have a roast beef sale. The company announced this morning that it is considering selling the struggling Arby's chain in order to focus more on the Wendy's hamburger chain.

Both sides of the company's eateries, Wendy's and Arby's, have seen sales slump, but Arby's has had the most problems thanks mainly to sandwiches that can cost more than five bucks. With such a price tag , those sandwiches weren't selling wel in the current economic atmosphere.

Continue reading Wendy's/Arby's Group May Sell Arby's

Wendy's/Arby's Group May Sell Arby's originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fast-food entity Sonic (SONC) closed Tuesday's regular session at a quote of $10.10. That represented a gain of a mere two pennies going into the after-the-bell earnings release. I guess investors weren't too excited by the prospects of the data.

Shares didn't do much in the extended session either, but popped about 4% at the opening bell Wednesday. For a longer-term perspective, take a look at the one-year chart. The stock seems to be doing its best to climb back to higher levels. Returning to the 52-week high of $13.11 would be nice.

Continue reading Sonic Beats Earnings Estimates Despite Weak Sales

Sonic Beats Earnings Estimates Despite Weak Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading McDonald's Down Today -- Time to Sell?

McDonald's Down Today -- Time to Sell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading McDonald's Global Same-Store Sales Increase

McDonald's Global Same-Store Sales Increase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Moments ago, food firm Yum! Brands (YUM) reaffirmed its 2010 earnings per share (EPS) growth forecast. Ahead of its annual investor meeting, the group restated expectations for EPS growth of 14%, less special items. In addition, YUM believes it will deliver 2011 EPS growth of 10%, excluding special items. These numbers are bolstered by the company's strength in China. CEO David Novak stated, "2010 has been a strong year led by our China business, and I'm pleased to report we remain on track to deliver 14% EPS growth."

Continue reading Yum! Brands Affirms 2010 Earnings Growth Outlook

Yum! Brands Affirms 2010 Earnings Growth Outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Yum! Brands Earnings: Profit Tops Projection in Q3

Yum! Brands Earnings: Profit Tops Projection in Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yum! Brands (YUM), a restaurant entity whose multiple concepts compete with McDonald's (MCD) and Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN), gave shareholders some great news this week: their dividend is going up! According to the press release, the quarterly payment is now 19% higher, coming in at 25 cents per share.

Not bad at all. Looks like management is feeling good about future cash flows. As we all know, dividend increases can be indicative of fundamental fiscal strength. And I like it when a dividend is backed by a strong portfolio that is well-recognized by consumers. Establishments like KFC and Taco Bell are strong trademarks.

Continue reading Yum! Brands Boosts Dividend, but Is It Time to Buy Shares?

Yum! Brands Boosts Dividend, but Is It Time to Buy Shares? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

McDonald's (MCD) was down Monday. What a disappointment. How can Mickey D's be down when the rest of the market was up? Hey, it happens.

But here's the interesting thing about the shares. Even though they closed down 0.6% (in some sense, that isn't really down so much as it is flat) to $74.57, they're still rather close to the 52-week high of $76.26 -- and quite far off from the 52-week low of $53.88. There's something to be said for that these days, right?

Continue reading McDonald's: Still a Good Idea After Latest Comps Report?

McDonald's: Still a Good Idea After Latest Comps Report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN) issued its second-quarter earnings on Thursday. The fast-food entity beat expectations. But, as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't any big deal. In fact, the market sort of agreed with me. By the end of the trading session, shares were off by a mere penny, settling out at a price of $4.14. Volume wasn't that interesting, either.

According to Briefing.com, net profit of 6 cents per share went beyond the estimate by a penny. However, same-store sales at both the Wendy's and Arby's declined. System-wide comps in North America contracted 1.7% for the former and 7.4% for the latter.

Continue reading Wendy's/Arby's Group Reports Lousy Earnings

Wendy's/Arby's Group Reports Lousy Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) was down roughly 2% as I began composing this piece during the afternoon session. I hope investors weren't paying attention to the bears who were in control of the fast-food giant's shares. To me, the stock seems to be in good shape, and in the kind of trading climate we're in, it could be a useful instrument for the cautious player.

I'm seeing a quote of around $70 go by on my screen. Not bad in the least, considering that the 52-week high is $71.84. It shows the kind of resilience the stock possesses. Indeed, considering how many equities have pulled back from their 52-week highs, you've got to enjoy this element of the story.

Continue reading McDonald's Receives Bearish Reaction to Latest Earnings

McDonald's Receives Bearish Reaction to Latest Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Yum! Brands Didn't Excite Wall Street with Q2 Numbers

Yum! Brands Didn't Excite Wall Street with Q2 Numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading McDonald's Eyes Yet Another Market -- Smoothies

McDonald's Eyes Yet Another Market -- Smoothies originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Sonic Drops on Q3 News

Sonic Drops on Q3 News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the battle for pizza-chain dominance, it was Papa John's International (PZZA) that took the cake (or rather the crust). The Consumerist reports that the latest results from the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index -- tracking points on customer expectations, perceived quality and value, customer complaints, and customer loyalty -- show Papa John's topped its peers in both the pizza business and the fast-food sector overall.

The chain improved its score by 6.7% from last year, hitting 80/100.

Continue reading Papa John's Wins Customer Satisfaction Poll - Really?

Papa John's Wins Customer Satisfaction Poll - Really? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Gold Hits Record Close (MCD, DO, DG, GS, JPM)

Closing Bell: Gold Hits Record Close (MCD, DO, DG, GS, JPM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There is a decidedly global flavor to KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants lately. And no, we're not talking about the Chalupa Baja -- this is about a global sales for these franchises and their parent company.

In recent years, operator Yum! Brands (YUM) has been growing at a breakneck pace, now with more than 3,500 locations in China alone and plans to open another 900 restaurants outside the U.S. in 2010. And the next global market that is in its sights is the United Kingdom, with a Taco Bell in Essex set to peddle low-priced burritos by the end of June.

Continue reading Expansion in UK the Latest Way Yum! Spices Up Global Sales

Expansion in UK the Latest Way Yum! Spices Up Global Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading What Burger King Can Learn from In-N-Out Burger

What Burger King Can Learn from In-N-Out Burger originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 May 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm not a fan of Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN). It just doesn't seem as safe as stocks like Burger King (BKC), McDonald's (MCD), or Yum! Brands (YUM). Of course, I'm certain I did nothing more than state the obvious.

As a low-priced equity, Wendy's/Arby's Group always possesses the risk of volatility. Today, the shares are off by over 3% in afternoon trading; at the time of this writing, I saw a share price of $4.93. Hey, it's better than the day low of $4.86. The company had reported earnings results for the first quarter Thursday morning. Do the numbers make the company look more or less attractive?

Continue reading Wendy's/Arby's Group: Avoid After Q1?

Wendy's/Arby's Group: Avoid After Q1? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 May 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Burger King: Decent Q3, but Sector Concerns Persist

Burger King: Decent Q3, but Sector Concerns Persist originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Things Are Looking Up for the Restaurant Industry

Things Are Looking Up for the Restaurant Industry originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.