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Brinker International Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2008 Results

01/23/08
DALLAS, Jan 23, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT) announced fiscal 2008 second quarter earnings per diluted share from continuing operations increased to $0.44 from $0.32 in the prior year. Before special items, earnings per diluted share from continuing operations decreased to $0.31 from $0.33 in the prior year (reconciliation included in Table 2).

During the first quarter of fiscal 2008, the company began presenting Romano's Macaroni Grill as discontinued operations in its financial statements due to management's intent to sell the brand. Before special items, earnings per diluted share from discontinued operations increased 57 percent from $0.07 in the second quarter of fiscal 2007 to $0.11 in the current quarter (reconciliation included in Table 3). All amounts presented in this release are related to continuing operations unless otherwise stated.

    Highlights for the second quarter fiscal 2008:

    --  Sold 76 Chili's restaurants to ERJ Dining IV, LLC;
    --  Increased royalty revenues from franchisees by 57 percent;
    --  Built 18 new company-owned restaurants and saw franchisees build 27
        new restaurants;
    --  Entered into an agreement with CMR, SAB de CV for the joint investment
        in a new corporation to develop 50 Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's
        Little Italy restaurants in Mexico, 6 of which have recently opened;
    --  Increased quarterly dividend by 22 percent to $0.11 per share; and
    --  Repurchased 4.1 million common shares.


Doug Brooks, Chairman and CEO stated, Brinker is committed to focusing on improving our core operations and to building on the strong foundations of our brands that will enable us to be successful in all macro-economic environments. We are confident that the operational and financial strategies we have initiated during the past eighteen months, including refranchising of company-owned restaurants, closing of underperforming locations, divestiture of brands, reimage of Chili's restaurants, international growth, aggressive share repurchases and growth of our dividend program, will have a positive impact on the company's performance in the future. We are now determining which initiatives can be accelerated and what additional actions can be taken to deliver more consistent earnings growth for our shareholders.

Quarterly Revenues

Brinker reported revenues from continuing operations for the 13-week period of $868.2 million, a decrease of 3.5 percent compared with $899.6 million reported for the same period of fiscal 2007. The decrease in revenue was driven by a 2.1 percent decline in comparable restaurant sales (see Table 1). Additionally, growth in company-owned restaurants was more than offset by sales of restaurants to franchisees, resulting in a net decline in capacity of approximately 3 percent. As a result, royalty revenues from franchisees increased 57 percent to $13.7 million from $8.7 million in the prior year. In addition, the company recognized $6.3 million of franchise and development fee revenues during the second quarter of fiscal 2008.

    Table 1: Q2 comparable restaurant sales
    Q2 08 and Q2 07, company and three reported brands; percentage


                          Q2 08         Q2 07         Q2 08
                        Comparable    Comparable     Pricing        Q2 08
                          Sales          Sales        Impact      Mix-Shift
    Brinker
     International(1)      (2.1)         (1.4)          2.8          0.3
      Chili's              (2.4)         (1.2)          2.8          0.9
      On The Border        (4.3)         (3.6)          2.2          0.1
      Maggiano's            1.7          (1.3)          3.1         (2.7)

    (1)  Brinker International comparable restaurant sales exclude the impact
         of Macaroni Grill.


Quarterly Operating Performance

Cost of sales, as a percent of revenues, increased from 28.0 percent in the prior year to 28.2 percent in the second quarter of fiscal 2008. During the quarter, cost of sales was negatively impacted by unfavorable commodity prices, primarily beef, ribs, cheese and dairy products, and unfavorable product mix shifts related to new menu items, offset by favorable menu price changes and increased revenues from franchisees.

Restaurant expenses, as a percent of revenues, increased to 56.1 percent from 54.8 percent in the prior year primarily driven by increased labor and restaurant supply costs, partially offset by increased revenues from franchisees and lower pre-opening expenses.

Depreciation and amortization decreased $1.7 million primarily driven by the sale of 95 company-owned Chili's restaurants to Pepper Dining, Inc. in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 and the sale of 76 company-owned Chili's restaurants to ERJ Dining IV, LLC in the second quarter of fiscal 2008. An increase in fully depreciated assets and restaurant closures also contributed to the decrease. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in depreciation due to the addition of new restaurants and remodel investments.

Compared to the prior year, general and administrative expense decreased $5.4 million for the quarter primarily due to lower performance and stock-based compensation expenses.

Other gains and charges increased to a net gain of $21.9 million compared to charges of $2.0 million a year ago as a result of a $29.2 million gain recorded in the second quarter of fiscal 2008 related to the sale of 76 Chili's restaurants to ERJ, partially offset by $7.3 million in charges primarily related to long-lived asset impairments.

Interest expense increased $5.9 million primarily due to additional debt outstanding of $400 million borrowed under a three-year term loan used primarily to fund share repurchases in fiscal 2007 and for general corporate purposes.

The effective income tax rate for continuing operations, before special items, decreased to 29.0 percent for the current quarter as compared to 32.8 percent for the same quarter last year. The decrease in the tax rate was primarily due to an increase in federal tax credits, leverage from FICA tip credits and a decrease in incentive stock option expense.

Income from discontinued operations, before special items, increased to $11.8 million in the current quarter from $8.6 million a year ago (reconciliation included in Table 3). This increase was primarily driven by a decrease in depreciation expense due to the classification of assets held for sale beginning in fiscal 2008, partially offset by a 4.0 percent decline in comparable restaurant sales at Macaroni Grill, which also resulted in the de-leveraging of fixed costs.

Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

Cash flow from continuing operations for the first six months of fiscal 2008 decreased to approximately $214.4 million compared to $256.6 million in the prior year due to lower adjusted earnings and the timing of operational receipts and payments. Capital expenditures for continuing operations for the quarter totaled $149.4 million, a reduction of $36.5 million compared to the prior year, primarily due to a decrease in new restaurants developed by the company. The company repurchased 4.1 million common shares during the second quarter. At the end of the quarter, approximately $60 million remained available under the company's share authorizations. Diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the second quarter were reduced over 16 percent to 105.3 million from 126.6 million at the end of the second quarter fiscal 2007.

As of the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2008, the company is in compliance with all debt covenants and believes that cash flows from its continuing operations and the strength of its balance sheet are adequate to support existing obligations and to finance ongoing operations.

    Special Items
    Table 2: Reconciliation of income from continuing operations, before
    special items
    Q2 08 and Q2 07; $ millions and $ per diluted share after-tax


                                                    EPS                 EPS
                                                    Per                 Per
                                             $      Share     $        Share
    Item                                   Q2 08    Q2 08   Q2 07      Q2 07
    Income from Continuing Operations       46.2    0.44     41.0       0.32
      Other Gains and Charges              (13.8)  (0.13)     1.3       0.01
    Income from Continuing Operations,
     before Special Items                   32.4    0.31     42.3       0.33



    Table 3: Reconciliation of income from discontinued operations, before
    special items
    Q2 08 and Q2 07; $ millions and $ per diluted share after-tax


                                                    EPS                 EPS
                                                    Per                 Per
                                              $    Share       $        Share
    Item                                    Q2 08  Q2 08     Q2 07      Q2 07
    Income from Discontinued Operations      8.3    0.08      3.2       0.03
      Other Gains and Charges                3.5    0.03      5.4       0.04
    Income from Discontinued
     Operations, before Special Items       11.8    0.11      8.6       0.07



    Table 4: Reconciliation of net income, before special items
    Q2 08 and Q2 07; $ millions and $ per diluted share after-tax


                                                    EPS                EPS
                                                    Per                Per
                                             $     Share      $        Share
    Item                                   Q2 08   Q2 08    Q2 07      Q2 07
    Net Income                              54.5    0.52     44.2       0.35
      Other Gains and Charges              (10.3)  (0.10)     6.7       0.05
    Net Income, before Special Items        44.2    0.42     50.9       0.40



Web-cast Information

Investors and interested parties are invited to listen to today's conference call, as management will provide further details of the quarter. The call will be broadcast live on the Brinker Web site (http://www.brinker.com) at 9 a.m. CST today (Jan. 23). For those who are unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay of the call will be available shortly thereafter and will remain on the Brinker Web site until the end of the day on Feb. 20, 2008.

    Forward Calendar
    --  Second Quarter SEC Form 10-Q filing on or before Feb. 4, 2008; and
    --  Third quarter earnings release, before market opens, on Apr. 22, 2008.


At the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2008, Brinker International either owned, operated, or franchised 1,872 restaurants under the names Chili's Grill & Bar (1,419 units), Romano's Macaroni Grill (245 units), On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina (167 units), and Maggiano's Little Italy (41 units).

The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and, consequently, could be affected by general business and economic conditions, the impact of competition, the impact of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions, the seasonality of the company's business, adverse weather conditions, future commodity prices, fuel and utility costs and availability, terrorists acts, consumer perception of food safety, changes in consumer taste, health epidemics or pandemics, changes in demographic trends, availability of employees, unfavorable publicity, the company's ability to meet its growth plan, acts of God, governmental regulations, and inflation.



                         BRINKER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                      Consolidated Statements of Income
                   (In thousands, except per share amounts)
                                 (Unaudited)

                     Thirteen Week Periods Ended Twenty-Six Week Periods Ended
                        December 26, December 27,  December 26, December 27,
                             2007       2006          2007         2006

    Revenues               $868,206   $899,571    $1,763,292    $1,768,854
    Operating Costs and
     Expenses:
      Cost of sales         245,283    251,901       490,901       490,316
      Restaurant expenses   486,871    493,132       989,024       974,134
      Depreciation and
       amortization          39,089     40,825        77,624        81,055
      General and
       administrative        39,620     44,973        80,558        93,113
      Other gains and
       charges (a)          (21,948)     2,031       (21,436)       (1,210)

      Total operating costs
       and expenses         788,915    832,862     1,616,671     1,637,408

    Operating income         79,291     66,709       146,621       131,446

    Interest expense         12,476      6,614        25,391        12,851
    Other, net                 (845)      (795)       (2,102)       (1,632)

    Income before provision
     for income taxes        67,660     60,890       123,332       120,227

    Provision for income
     taxes                   21,434     19,900        38,570        39,165

    Income from continuing
     operations              46,226     40,990        84,762        81,062

    Income from discontinued
     operations, net of
     taxes (b)                8,254      3,202         7,318        10,769

      Net income            $54,480    $44,192       $92,080       $91,831


    Basic net income per share:
      Income from continuing
       operations             $0.45      $0.33         $0.81         $0.65
      Income from discontinued
         Operations           $0.08      $0.03         $0.07         $0.09
      Net income per share    $0.53      $0.36         $0.88         $0.74


    Diluted net income per
     share:
      Income from continuing
       operations             $0.44      $0.32         $0.79         $0.64
      Income from discontinued
       operations             $0.08      $0.03         $0.07         $0.09
      Net income per share    $0.52      $0.35         $0.86         $0.73


    Basic weighted average
     shares outstanding     103,498    123,451       104,981       123,835

    Diluted weighted average
     shares outstanding     105,339    126,641       107,247       126,339


    (a)  Current year other gains and charges primarily includes a $29.2
         million gain on the sale of 76 restaurants to a franchisee and $7.3
         million of charges primarily related to the impairment of long-lived
         assets during the second quarter of fiscal 2008. Prior year other
         gains and charges includes $2.0 million of impairment charges
         associated with restaurant closures in the second quarter of fiscal
         2007 and a gain on the termination of interest rate swaps of $3.2
         million in the first quarter of fiscal 2007.

    (b)  Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes, includes other
         gains and charges of $3.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal
         2008, primarily related to impairment charges and deal-related
         expenses resulting from the expected sale of Macaroni Grill and $5.1
         million in the first quarter of fiscal 2008, primarily related to
         impairment charges and stock-based compensation expense resulting
         from the expected sale of Macaroni Grill.  Income from discontinued
         operations, net of taxes, includes other gains and charges of $5.4
         million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007, primarily related to
         impairment charges associated with restaurant closures. As a result,
         income from discontinued operations, before special items, was $11.8
         million and $8.6 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 and
         2007, respectively. Income from discontinued operations, before
         special items, was $15.9 and $16.2 million, respectively, for fiscal
         2008 and 2007 year-to-date.



                         BRINKER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                (In thousands)

                                                      December 26,  June 27,
                                                         2007         2007
                                                      (Unaudited)
    ASSETS
      Current assets of continuing operations           $292,281    $250,478
      Assets held for sale                               303,054     417,842
      Net property and equipment (a)                   1,522,362   1,469,586
      Total other assets                                 199,945     180,115
      Total assets                                    $2,317,642  $2,318,021

    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
      Current liabilities of continuing operations      $602,326    $521,136
      Liabilities associated with assets held for sale    19,354      21,046
      Long-term debt, less current installments          884,414     826,918
      Other liabilities                                  166,659     143,832
      Total shareholders' equity                         644,889     805,089
      Total liabilities and shareholders' equity      $2,317,642  $2,318,021


    (a)  At December 26, 2007, the company owned the land and buildings for
         231 of the 1,048 company-owned restaurants (excluding Macaroni
         Grill).  The net book values of the land and buildings associated
         with these restaurants totaled $184.3 million and $195.4 million,
         respectively.



                         BRINKER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                              RESTAURANT SUMMARY

                                              Second
                      Total   Second Quarter  Quarter     Total      Projected
                  Restaurants   Openings/     Closings/ Restaurants  Openings
                    Sept. 26,  Acquisitions    Sales     Dec. 26,     Fiscal
                      2007     Fiscal 2008  Fiscal 2008    2007        2008


    Company-Owned
     Restaurants:
      Chili's          930           14          79         865        64-67
      Macaroni Grill   216            3           3         216            3
      On The Border    134            3           -         137          6-8
      Maggiano's        41            0           -          41            1
      International(a)   5            1           -           6          0-3
                     1,326           21          82       1,265        74-82

    Franchise
     Restaurants:
      Chili's          308           87           -         395        28-33
      Macaroni Grill    13            4           -          17          7-9
      On The Border     28            1           -          29          6-8
      International(a) 151           16           1         166        37-45
                       500          108           1         607        78-95

    Total
     Restaurants:
      Chili's        1,238          101          79       1,260       92-100
      Macaroni Grill   229            7           3         233        10-12
      On The Border    162            4           -         166        12-16
      Maggiano's        41            0           -          41            1
      International    156           17           1         172        37-48
                     1,826          129          83       1,872      152-177

    (a) At the end of second quarter fiscal year 2008, international company
        owned restaurants by brand were five Chili's and one Macaroni Grill.
        International franchise restaurants by brand were 154 Chili's, 11
        Macaroni Grill's and one On The Border.



                     FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

                                 MARIE PERRY
                              INVESTOR RELATIONS
                                (972) 770-1276
                               6820 LBJ FREEWAY
                             DALLAS, TEXAS 75240

SOURCE Brinker International, Inc.


http://www.brinker.com