Wednesday, Panera Bread Co. (PNRA), an operator of retail bakery-cafes, reported that fourth quarter 2009 company-owned comparable bakery-cafe sales increased 7.4% on calendar basis and 5.9% on fiscal basis. The company increased its fourth quarter earnings guidance based on comparable bakery-cafe sales growth.
Richmond Heights, Missouri-based Panera posted a 6.8% increase in company-owned comparable bakery-cafe sales for the month of October. In the month of November, the sales were up 6.1% and for the month of December the sales increased 9.6%. Additionally, the company noted that company-owned comparable bakery-cafe sales was up 9.4% in the first 21 days of the January 2010 fiscal month.
Looking ahead, Panera raised its fourth quarter earnings outlook to be in the range of $0.94 to $0.95 per share from the prior guidance of $0.85 to $0.87 per share. The estimate includes the net impact of $0.05 per share of non recurring charges from asset retirement activity in the fourth quarter.
On average, 16 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the company to earn $0.88 per share for the fourth quarter. Analysts' estimate typically exclude one-time items.
PNRA closed Wednesday's regular trading at $68.39, down $0.49 or 0.71% on a volume of 410,373 shares and in the after hours the stock rose 2.72% or $3.98, trading at $71.11 on the Nasdaq.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.