Papa John’s Int’l, Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZA) late Tuesday posted mixed fourth quarter earnings results, as profits beat expectations but revenue fell short.

Written by StockNews.com

The Louisville, KY-based pizza chain reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $0.69, which was $0.04 better than the Wall Street consensus estimate of $0.65.

Revenues rose 5.5% from last year to $439.6 million, however, falling short of analysts’ view for $447.34 million.

System-wide North America comparable sales rose 3.8% for the fourth quarter. Comparable sales, also known as “comps,” are an important measure of a restaurant chain’s performance, since they measure only the year-over-year sales at stores open at least 12 months.

Looking ahead, PZZA said it expects diluted EPS growth of 8% to 12%, including an 53rd week. It’s also targeting North America comps between 2% and 4%, with International comparable sales growth of 4% to 6%.

The company commented via press release:

“We are pleased to have delivered another excellent year in 2016,” said Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter. “Thanks to the efforts of the entire Papa John’s family, we opened our 5,000th global unit and increased our digital mix to over 55% — all while delivering on our clear label promises and generating strong comp sales and another year of record earnings.”

...Year-to-date, PZZA had gained 0.30% prior to today’s report, versus a 5.80% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

PZZA currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of A (Strong Buy), and is ranked #13 of 54 stocks in the Restaurants category.