Papa John's (NASDAQ: PZZA) reported Q1 EPS of $0.15, $0.24 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.39. Revenue for the quarter came in at $409.86 million versus the consensus estimate of $412.19 million.

Highlights

• First quarter 2020 earnings per diluted share of $0.15 compared to first quarter 2019 loss per diluted share of ($0.12)
• System-wide North America comparable sales increase of 5.3%
• International comparable sales increase of 2.3%
• Cash flow from operations of $33.7 million; free cash flow of $24.4 million for first quarter 2020
• Launched No Contact Delivery and Carryout domestically and in many international markets and on plan to hire thousands of new team members
• Preliminary estimated April fiscal period comparable sales increases of 26.9% for North America and 1.4% for international

Rob Lynch, President & CEO said, “Thanks to the tremendous effort of our team members and franchisees, I’m proud to say that Papa John’s has kept its doors open and continued feeding our customers and neighbors in North America and most markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by the needs of our team members and the communities we serve, we have implemented rigorous additional health and safety measures, including No Contact Delivery, and expanded our health and paid-leave benefits. Our team members and franchisees have also served more than two million free slices of pizza to those on the front lines and in need. As seen in our April North America comparable sales, after the close of the first quarter, unprecedented numbers of families are relying on Papa John’s. We are rising to this challenge, hiring thousands of new team members, safeguarding our supply chain and carefully managing our finances. It\'s an honor to deliver BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. to our new and returning customers, especially in these trying times.”

Update on Impact of COVID-19 on International and North America Markets

The COVID-19 outbreak has presented evolving developments domestically and internationally. The outbreak began to result in disruption in certain of our international markets beginning in January 2020, which negatively impacted our operations in affected locations, including causing temporary closures of franchise locations in China and South Korea. Subsequently, the outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 and declared a national emergency in the United States during the same timeframe. In response, governments and other authorities around the world have imposed measures to attempt to control the spread of COVID-19, including restrictions on freedom of movement and business operations such as travel bans, social distancing requirements, including limitations on gatherings, shelter-in-place orders and quarantines, and mandated business closures, which have resulted in significant changes in commercial activity and consumer behavior. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in an overall contraction in global economic activity and rising unemployment. We have been in discussions with our major suppliers and currently have not experienced material disruptions in our supply chain.

Our primary focus continues to be the safety of our team members, franchisees, and customers. The company has taken steps to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing extra health and safety measures across our business, including No Contact Delivery and enhanced cleaning and sanitization measures, for the protection of both our customers and team members. We have expanded our corporate employee benefits to include free virtual doctor visits. This is in addition to existing employee benefits of no-cost mental health support and affordable health plan options. In addition, the company is in the process of hiring thousands of team members to help serve our customers.

Of the company’s approximately 2,100 international franchised stores, approximately 375 are temporarily closed, principally in Europe (140 stores), Latin America (130 stores), and the Middle East (95 stores) in accordance with government policies. In China and South Korea, our markets which were impacted the earliest by the COVID-19 outbreak, a limited number of restaurants remain closed. Some international markets are open predominantly for delivery only, such as in the United Kingdom. In North America, substantially all our traditional restaurants remain open and fully operational. A number of non-traditional restaurants located in universities and stadiums are temporarily closed; these non-traditional locations are not significant to our revenues and operating results.

Although March sales in North America were negatively impacted by the cancellation of large gatherings, including major sporting events, our domestic businesses have performed well, as customers and communities rely on us and others in the food delivery industry. The demand for carry-out and delivery across our markets has increased over the past several weeks.

Withdrawal of 2020 Outlook

There continues to be many uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late March, the company withdrew its previously provided financial outlook for 2020.

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