Panera Bread Company Earnings Preview

Panera Bread Company (Nasdaq: PNRA) came in right in line with the Street's expectations last quarter, but investors are hoping that it will beat them this quarter. The company will unveil its latest earnings on Tuesday, April 24. Panera Bread and its subsidiaries operate a retail bakery-cafe business and franchising business.

What analysts say:

• Buy, sell, or hold?: Analysts are bullish on this stock. Only one rate it as a sell, while 11 recommend it as a buy. Analysts like Panera Bread Company better than competitor Wendy's Company overall. While analysts still rate the stock a moderate buy, they are a little more optimistic about it compared to three months ago.
• Revenue Forecasts: On average, analysts predict $500.7 million in revenue this quarter. That would represent a rise of 18.6% from the year-ago quarter.
• Wall Street Earnings Expectations: The average analyst estimate is earnings of $1.34 per share. Estimates range from $1.32 to $1.38.

What our community says:
CAPS All-Stars are strongly supporting the stock, with 94.3% giving it an "outperform" rating. The community at large backs the All-Stars, with 89.8% awarding it a rating of "outperform." Though still bullish, the CAPS rating of four out of five stars for Panera Bread Company is a bit more pessimistic than the community assessment.

Management:
Panera Bread Company's profit has risen year-over-year by an average of 23.2% over the past five quarters.

Now let's look at how efficient management is at running the business. Traditionally, margins represent the efficiency with which companies capture portions of sales dollars. The following table shows gross, operating, and net margins over the past four quarters.

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