Does The Street Have Panera Bread Figured Out?

Panera Bread (Nasdaq: PNRA  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 5. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Panera Bread's revenues will grow 15.8% and EPS will expand 22.5%.

The average estimate for revenue is $574.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.74.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Panera Bread recorded revenue of $529.3 million. GAAP reported sales were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $453.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $1.24. GAAP EPS of $1.24 for Q3 were 28% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.97 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 34.5%, 70 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 11.3%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.9%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.13 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.88.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,376 members out of 1,528 rating the stock outperform, and 152 members rating it underperform. Among 449 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 421 give Panera Bread a green thumbs-up, and 28 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Panera Bread is outperform, with an average price target of $173.89.

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