Tag Archives: BK

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Why Burger King Shares Spiked

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By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool

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Burger King shares are soaring today after the company announced a transition plan for its management. Current CEO Bernardo Hees will be heading over to Heinz soon to run Berkshire Hathaway‘s newest subsidiary. In preparation for his departure, BK announced that when Hees leaves the building on July 1, chief financial officer Daniel Schwartz will move one more rung up the ladder and become BK‘s new CEO.

So, all this being understood, the question arises: Is the 3.6% spike in Burger King‘s share price today an indictment of Hees’ leadership, and are investors rejoicing over his imminent departure? Or is it perhaps a vote of confidence in Schwartz’s upcoming administration?

Actually, it’s probably neither one of these. After all, under Hees’ management, Burger King shares have enjoyed a real renaissance, rising 27% in value over the past year alone. It’s unlikely investors are thrilled to see that kind of leader walk out the door. (Conversely, Berkshire shareholders should be thrilled.) It’s also hard to see how Schwartz will be able to top such superb performance.

It’s more likely that investors are reacting to Burger King‘s other announcements, namely:

  • Earnings in Q1 of this year are likely to grow 45% in comparison to last year’s Q1.
  • BK‘s board is upping its quarterly dividend by 20% to $0.06 per share.
  • And the board has also authorized a $200 million share buyback.

The first announcement allays investor concerns by showing that Burger King‘s on track to grow profits and Hees is not abandoning a sinking ship. The second announcement demonstrates that these profits are real — real enough that you can write a dividend check on them without fear that it will bounce. The third announcement confirms that Burger King‘s managers, at least, think the stock is undervalued. And even if they’re wrong (the stock does cost 58 times earnings, after all), they’ll be spending freely to support this overpriced share price.

Granted, the news doesn’t sound quite as good when I phrase it that way. But at least Mr. Market seems to like it.

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The article Why Burger King Shares Spiked originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Burger King Worldwide, and H.J. Heinz Company. The Motley Fool owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/why-burger-king-shares-spiked/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Burger Giants Follow Panera and Subway Toward Upscale Fare

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By Rick Aristotle Munarriz

Wendy's flatbread

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Wendy’s

The big three burger giants are stealing a page from the menus of their fast-casual competition.

McDonald’s (MCD), Wendy’s (WEN), and Burger King (BKW) have been rolling out new sandwiches this month that will pit them against Subway, Panera Bread (PNRA), and perhaps even that gourmet burger joint down the road.

Artisan breads, calorie counts, and more non-beef options are among the latest things the chains are introducing to woo in the customers who have been flocking of late to their marginally more upscale rivals.

Meet the New Menu Items

Wendy’s is introducing a pair of flatbread grilled chicken sandwiches. Flatbread is an option that most people will associate with Subway, but Wendy’s going a step further. Its flatbread is a five-grain blend of flax, cracked wheat, millet, rolled oats, and sesame seeds that would look more at home on Panera’s menu.

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McDonald’s is also aiming at Subway’s niche with its new Premium McWraps. The world’s largest burger-flipper has offered Snack Wraps before, but the new menu items are built on larger flour tortillas, with more grilled or fried chicken and salad greens. An internal memo leaked to Advertising Age called the addition a “Subway buster” — but naturally we’ll have to see about that.

Over at Burger King, they’re now offering turkey burgers as an alternative. Burger King has offered a veggie burger in the past, but this is the first time that one of the three leading hamburger chains has tried turkey burgers, though they are frequently on the menus of gourmet burger eateries that can afford to stock wider selections.

Healthy Moves are Stealthy Moves

Menu development at McDonald’s, BK, and Wendy’s never stands still: The chains are perpetually introducing new items and retiring less popular options to keep generating interest. However, it’s no coincidence that all three are expanding their now menus with entrees feel cribbed from the menus of fast casual chains. It’s probably also not a coincidence that many of these new additions are healthier than the typical fare being flipped at the chains. As consumers grow ever-more health conscious, and labeling requirements become more common, the chains are finding it wise to offer alternatives to their less healthy signature sandwiches.

The Smoky Honey Mustard flatbread at Wendy’s packs a modest 370 calories. The sweet chili version of the Premium McWrap made with grilled chicken weighs in at an even slimmer 360 calories and a reasonable 9 grams of fat. BK‘s turkey burger isn’t exactly healthy, with 26 grams of fat, though its 5 grams of saturated fat makes it half as bad as the traditional Whopper on that front.

Bringing it All Home

A new Wendy’s ad pitches the convenience of picking up one of its flatbread sandwiches.

“Didn’t even have to get out of the …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Midday Report: Popular Restaurants Have Secret Menu Items

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By DailyFinance Staff

special menu items

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Produced by Drew Trachtenberg

Secret menus. McDonald’s (MCD) has one. So do Burger King (BKW), Subway and most other fast-food chains. These are items that, for various reasons, are not on the regular menu, but can be had if you know what to ask for.

Getty Images

Mostly people find out through word-of-mouth and through social networks, but there are also a couple of web sites that track these offerings.

Maybe the oldest practitioner of the secret menu is In-N-Out Burger. And it’s not much of a secret: the company even posts six items on its website that are not on its menu. Try the protein burger; it’s wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.

Elsewhere, many of these ‘secrets’ are not for the faint of heart, or for dieters.

If you’re really hungry, go to McDonald’s and ask for the Monster Mac. That’s a big Mac with eight patties. McDonald’s also offers some seasonal items. Available this month only, the McLeprechaun, which combines the Shamrock Shake with a chocolate shake.

Burger King offers a secret Suicide Burger. Your cardiologist will love this one: four beef patties, four slices of cheese, bacon, and, of course, the special sauce. More sensibly, BK also offers a Veggie Burger.

If you love the mashed potatoes at KFC (YUM), don’t get them as a side. You can put them, with or without gravy, on top of your sandwich.

Subway has a pizza: tomato sauce, cheese, either pepperoni or salami, on your choice of bread. Chipotle (CMG) has a super-sized Burritodilla and a Quesarito, which weighs in at more than 1500 calories. Even Starbucks (SBUX) plays this game: You can get the Zebra Mocha, which combines white chocolate and chocolate mocha. There’s also the Cake Batter Frappuccino and the Chocolate Dalmatian. Panera Bread (PNRA) has recently jumped aboard with several items for people whose diets do not include bread. Think of them as Panera bread-less.

So why do these chains offer ‘secret’ items? Well, for one thing, it’s cheaper. They don’t have to alter the official menu, and they can drop the items at any time. Also, it’s a way to build buzz and loyalty. Some customers like the idea that they know something that others in line don’t.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Automobiles

Breaking: Jeep Twitter account hacked, bad language, poor grammar and some hilarity ensue

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By Seyth Miersma

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Just a day after Burger King’s Twitter account was compromised by “unauthorized users,” Jeep’s social media feed has been similarly hacked. Both instances of digital incursion share some similarities – the BK hackers changed the company’s logo for McDonald’s familiar golden arches, saying a sale had occurred, while the Jeep miscreants have replaced Jeep’s branding with that of General Motors property Cadillac.

The resulting tweets from the damaged Jeep account have been a pretty brutal, to put it bluntly. Most of the content coming from the hacked account is unpublishable here, using language that is peppered with racial epithets, and poorly worded “shout outs.”

In addition to the defamatory tweets themselves, the hackers have significantly altered the layout of the page. Jeep’s header image now features a picture of the Cadillac ATS to go along with the Wreath and Crest, some language calling out that car as winning the 2013 North American Car of the Year award, and this gem: “The official Twitter handle for the Jeep(R) – Just Empty Every Pocket, Sold To Cadillac =[” Also, perhaps in an ode to yesterday’s Burger King heist, the background image for the page now features a McDonald’s-themed donk. The devil’s in the details, we guess.

Stay tuned to @Jeep’s feed, as the inevitable shut down, recapture, and public explanation/apology are sure to play out in short order. Don’t forget to change your passwords, kids.

Jeep Twitter account hacked, bad language, poor grammar and some hilarity ensue originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog