News

Dunkin' Q4 2018 dividend grows 8 percent over prior quarter

February 7, 2019

Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins parent, Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. said its board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.375 per share of common stock today, payable March 20 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 11. The dividend represents an 8 percent increase over the prior quarter's dividend, a news release said.

In its FY 2018 highlights, Baskin-Robbins showed a 0.6 percent drop in comp store sales, while Dunkin' U.S. grew its comp store sales that same amount of 0.6 percent, although those sales were flat in Q4 2018. Other FY2018 highlights include:

• Added 392 net new restaurants worldwide, including 278 net new Dunkin' locations in the U.S.
• Revenues grew 3.6 percent. 
• Diluted EPS fell 7.8 percent to $2.71, attributed to prior year tax reform impact. 
• Diluted adjusted EPS grew 40.1 percent, to $2.90.

Q4 2018 highlights include

• Dunkin' U.S. comparable store sales flat. 
• Baskin-Robbins U.S. comparable store sales down 3.7 percent. 
• Added 148 net new locations globally for both chains, including 106 net new Dunkin' locations in the U.S.
• Revenues grew 1.5 percent.
• Diluted EPS fell 56.5 percent to $0.64, again attributed to prior year tax reform impact.
• Diluted adjusted EPS grew 41.7 percent to $0.68.

"In 2018 we made substantial progress with our Blueprint for Growth designed to evolve Dunkin' U.S. into a beverage-led, on-the-go brand," Dunkin' Brands CEO David Hoffman said in the release. "Along with making an unprecedented investment into the business, we implemented a deliberate sequencing of strategic initiatives including simplifying our menu nationwide, making our first foray into national value, debuting our NextGen new store design, unveiling our new Dunkin' brand identity, and successfully relaunching our espresso beverages served at the speed of Dunkin'.

"While we did not drive consistent traffic momentum for the full year, we laid the foundation for future growth and, most importantly, along with our franchisees, are unified and well-positioned to capitalize in 2019 on our brand promise of 'great coffee, fast.'"