Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG 0.90%) was an after-market star on Tuesday, with its stock rising after the company posted convincing revenue and profitability beats in its fiscal Q1 2020 earnings release.
For the quarter, the fast casual Mexican restaurant operator booked revenue of $1.41 billion, nearly 8% higher than the Q1 2019 result. That was on the back of comparable-restaurant sales that rose by 3.3% across that stretch of time. Non-GAAP (adjusted) net profit fell almost 9% on a year-over-year basis to just over $87.1 million.
Image source: Chipotle Mexican Grill.
The revenue increase came in part from higher customer spending, as the average check increased by almost 5%, in large part because of price increases enacted last year. Record quarterly online sales -- which rose a strong 81% to comprise 26% of the company's total -- contributed substantially to the growth. Profitability was hurt by a sharp increase in charges related to restaurant closures, among other items.
Chipotle's headline numbers came in ahead of analyst estimates, particularly on the bottom line. On average, prognosticators following the stock were expecting revenue of $1.39 billion and only $2.56 for adjusted, per-share net profit.
As with many other businesses, Chipotle's immediate future is somewhat cloudy given the economic fallout of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. The company has suspended its stock buyback program and has implemented a set of temporary measures to reduce costs. In its earnings release, it wrote of its "strong financial position" -- as of the end of Q1, it had over $909 million in cash.
In contrast to the decline of the overall equities market and top consumer goods stocks during trading hours on Tuesday, Chipotle was on the rise in post-market action, gaining nearly 6%.
