Chipotle shares fall despite earnings beat, as robust delivery growth weighs on profits

Chipotle Mexican Grill on Wednesday reported quarterly same-store sales growth of more than 8%, but a shift to delivery is boosting costs and resulting in fewer drink purchases, which dragged down its net income.

Shares of the company fell 7% in after-hours trading.

Here’s what the company reported for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

• Earnings per share: $3.76, adjusted, vs. $3.47 expected
• Revenue: $1.6 billion vs. $1.59 billion expected

Chipotle reported third-quarter net income of $80.2 million, or $2.82 per share, down from $98.6 million, or $3.47 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, the burrito chain earned $3.76 per share, topping the $3.47 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

Net sales rose 14.1% to $1.6 billion, narrowly beating expectations of $1.59 billion. Same-store sales climbed 8.3% in the quarter, hitting a peak in August. Strong demand continued into September, but the company was lapping higher same-store sales growth due to the launch of its carne asada protein last year in that month.

For the second consecutive quarter, digital sales more than tripled. Online orders accounted for nearly half of all sales, and about half of Chipotle’s digital customers chose to have their orders delivered.

Delivery service revenue, which includes delivery and service fees paid by customers to Chipotle through its app and website, made up 1.3% of its net sales. The company said that revenue falls short of what it pays to its third-party delivery partners, like DoorDash and Grubhub, which charge commission fees to restaurants for every order.

Chipotle once again declined to provide an outlook for 2020, citing the uncertainty of the pandemic.

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