This Week’s Must-See Restaurant Earnings Charts

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Earnings season isn’t over yet. There’s over 400 companies reporting earnings again this week including the always popular restaurant companies.

With unemployment at a multi-decade low, GDP inching higher and tax cuts for both corporations and individual tax payers pumping more cash into the economy, you’d think it would be a good time to be in the restaurant business.

Yet, some of the restaurant chains are struggling with higher labor and commodity costs, as well as reduced traffic thanks to increased competition.

Which companies this week have the best earnings surprise track records?

5 Restaurant Stocks Reporting Earnings This Week

1. Wendy’s (WEN – Free Report) has been in McDonald’s shadow for the last few years but Wendy’s shares recently traded near 5-year highs. It’s coming off a miss last quarter but otherwise has a pretty strong track record of beating. Shares aren’t cheap, at 27x. Is there enough growth to support the share price?

2. Wingstop Inc. (WING – Free Report) has been one of the hottest restaurant stocks over the last year. It hasn’t missed on earnings since its 2015 IPO. It already pre-announced strong year-over-year comps for the quarter, but can it keep up this torrid growth pace?

3. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (RRGB – Free Report) is coming off a miss last quarter. This fast-casual chain has struggled recently, as it has closed its grab and go urban locations. Additionally, the burger niche is very competitive now.

4. Zoe’s Kitchen (ZOES – Free Report) has missed two out of the last four quarters. It’s expected to see a loss of $0.10 in 2017 and a loss of $0.02 again next year. Shares sank in 2017. Can it turn it around in 2018?

5. Potbelly (PBPB – Free Report) has only missed 3 times since its 2013 IPO. But what started out as a hot stock, has faded into a stock that has gone nowhere for years. It’s neither cheap nor a growth name. What, if anything, can be done to turn it around?