As previously reported, Longbow analyst Alton Stump upgraded Dunkin' Brands (DNKN) to Neutral from Underperform after his conversations with U.S. franchisees lead him to believe the company's Q2 same-store sales rose 0.5-1.0%, which would be in-line with the consensus view and slightly better than his prior forecast for them to have been flat with last year.

However, he added that the "still tepid" same-store sales growth likely means the coffee company lost share, especially to McDonald's (MCD), in the U.S. during Q2.