Texas Roadhouse, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter 2016 Results Increases Quarterly Dividend 10.5% to $0.21 per Share

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (NasdaqGS: TXRH), today announced financial results for the 13 and 52 week periods ended December 27, 2016.

				Fourth Quarter												Year to Date
($000's)				2016				2015				% Change				2016				2015				% Change
Total revenue				$	484,710			$	454,351			7	%			$	1,990,714			$	1,807,368			10	%
Income from operations					30,839				33,713			(9	%)				171,900				144,565			19	%
Net income					20,725				22,982			(10	%)				115,598				96,894			19	%
Diluted EPS				$	0.29			$	0.32			(10	%)			$	1.63			$	1.37			19	%

Results for the fourth quarter included the following highlights:

• Comparable restaurant sales growth of 1.2% at company restaurants, including a negative impact of approximately 0.5% related to the calendar shift of the Christmas holiday, and 2.0% at domestic franchise restaurants;
• Restaurant margin, as a percentage of restaurant sales, decreased 44 basis points to 17.1%. Wage rate inflation and higher costs associated with payroll taxes, insurance reserve adjustments and gift card fees more than offset the benefit of lower food costs;
• Restaurant margin dollars increased 4.0% to $82.4 million from $79.2 million in the prior year;
• Diluted earnings per share decreased 10.3% to $0.29 from $0.32 in the prior year primarily due to restaurant margin performance, higher general and administrative expenses and higher depreciation costs; and
• Nine company-owned restaurants were opened, including four Bubba’s 33 restaurants.

Results for the full year included the following highlights:

• Comparable restaurant sales growth of 3.5% at company restaurants and 3.3% at domestic franchise restaurants;
• Restaurant margin, as a percentage of restaurant sales, increased 134 basis points to 18.7%. The benefit of lower food costs more than offset the impact of higher wage rate inflation;
• Restaurant margin dollars increased 18.7% to $368.9 million from $310.8 million in the prior year;
• Diluted earnings per share increased 18.8% to $1.63 from $1.37 in the prior year. During fiscal 2016, we recorded a pre-tax charge of $7.3 million ($4.5 million after-tax) related to a legal settlement which had a $0.06 impact on diluted earnings per share and a 4.6% impact on diluted earnings per share growth;
• 30 company-owned restaurants were opened, including nine Bubba’s 33 restaurants; and
• We repurchased 114,700 shares of our common stock for $4.1 million.

Kent Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Texas Roadhouse, Inc., commented, "We are pleased to deliver another strong year of results including a 19% increase in diluted earnings per share driven by double-digit revenue growth and restaurant margin expansion. We also delivered impressive comparable restaurant sales growth during 2016 with an increase of 3.5%, and we extended our streak of consecutive quarters of comparable restaurant sales growth to 28 with our fourth quarter increase. Lastly, our strong balance sheet and healthy cash flows allowed us to return $56.2 million of excess capital to shareholders through quarterly dividend payments and share repurchases during 2016."

Taylor continued, "In 2017, we expect to open approximately 30 company restaurants and seven franchise restaurants this year, which is over 7% growth system-wide. Going forward, the strength of our brand continues to be our people and our operational focus on delivering legendary food and legendary service."

Franchise Acquisition

Effective December 28, 2016, we acquired four franchise restaurants in Florida and Georgia for an aggregate purchase price of $16.8 million. The purchase price was paid in cash. Going forward, two of the restaurants will be wholly-owned, while two will be majority-owned. The acquisition did not have a net revenue or accretive impact in 2016 as it occurred on the first day of our 2017 fiscal year.

2017 Outlook

Comparable restaurant sales at company restaurants for the first 55 days of our first quarter of fiscal 2017 increased approximately 1.5% compared to the prior year period.

Management updated the following expectations for 2017:

• Approximately 30 company restaurant openings, including approximately six Bubba’s 33 restaurants;
• Food cost deflation of approximately 1.0% to 2.0% compared to previous guidance of low-single digit food cost deflation; and
• An income tax rate of 29.0% to 30.0% compared to previous guidance of 30.0% to 31.0%.

Management reiterated the following expectations for 2017:

• Positive comparable restaurant sales growth;
• Mid-single digit labor inflation; and
• Total capital expenditures of approximately $170.0 million, excluding any cash used for franchise acquisitions.

Cash Dividend Payment

On February 16, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized the payment of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.21 per share of common stock. This payment, which will be distributed on March 31, 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 15, 2017, represents a 10.5% increase from the cash dividend of $0.19 per share of common stock declared during each quarter of 2016. Since the inception of our dividend program in 2011, our cash dividend per share of common stock has increased an average of 17.5% per year.

Conference Call

We will host a conference call today, February 21, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. The dial-in number is (800)949-2163 or (719)785-1748 for international calls. A replay of the call will be available for one week following the conference call. To access the replay, please dial (844)512-2921 or (412)317-6671 for international calls, and use 6581484 as the pass code. There will be a simultaneous Web cast conducted at www.texasroadhouse.com.

About the Company

Texas Roadhouse is a casual dining concept that first opened in 1993 and today operates over 520 restaurants system-wide in 49 states and six foreign countries. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.texasroadhouse.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this release that are not historical facts, including, without limitation, those relating to our anticipated financial performance, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management. Actual results may vary materially from those contained in forward-looking statements based on a number of factors including, without limitation, the actual number of restaurant openings; the sales at these and our other company and franchise restaurants; changes in restaurant development or operating costs, such as food and labor; our ability to acquire franchise restaurants; our ability to integrate other concepts we develop or the franchise restaurants we acquire; our ability to continue to generate the necessary cash flows to fund our new restaurant growth, continue our share repurchase program and pay a quarterly cash dividend; strength of consumer spending; pending or future legal claims; breaches of security; conditions beyond our control such as weather, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics impacting our customers or food supplies; food safety and food-borne illness concerns; acts of war or terrorism and other factors disclosed from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should take such risks into account when making investment decisions. Shareholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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Texas Roadhouse, Inc.

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