Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) saw its shares surge by more than 2% in pre-market today following a strong second-quarter performance that exceeded Wall Street expectations, highlighted by an impressive earnings beat and a notable margin increase.
The fast-casual restaurant chain reported an adjusted EPS of $0.34, above the Street forecast of $0.32. Revenue also outperformed, reaching $3 billion compared to the projected $2.94 billion.
Year-over-year, revenue rose by 18.2%, driven by an 11.1% increase in comparable restaurant sales and a 32.0% jump in adjusted diluted earnings per share.
The growth in comparable sales was primarily due to an 8.7% increase in transactions and a 2.4% rise in the average check size. Digital sales remained a key contributor, making up 35.3% of the total food and beverage revenue.
Operating margins improved to 19.7%, up from 17.2% the previous year, while restaurant-level operating margins climbed to 28.9%, reflecting a 140-basis point improvement. This margin expansion highlights the positive impact of sales leverage despite facing challenges from wage and ingredient inflation.
Looking ahead to the full year 2024, management anticipates comparable restaurant sales growth in the mid to high-single digits and plans to open between 285 to 315 new restaurants, with over 80% featuring a Chipotlane.